


treehouse

by rainfriend



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Bad Parenting, DadSchlatt, Dadza, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, It's always raining, Kind of a sickfic, Mentions of alcoholism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, SBI Family Dynamic, Sickness, Songfic, ahh my favorite, big brother wilbur and big brother techno, clingyduo, do not take any relationships as romantic they are platonic, forest motif, no beta ignore any typos, rain motif, shippers please dni!, slight angst, theyre kids in this, very little!!!, we're talking very little actual angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29027397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainfriend/pseuds/rainfriend
Summary: Tommy does not like visitors in his treehouse. His older brothers like to tease, and his Dad is always out doing work, so Tommy busies himself. Alone. The way he likes it.That is, until a little boy shows up, and changes Tommy’s entire worldview.-inspired by treehouse by alex g
Relationships: No Romantic Relationships - Relationship, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Technoblade, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, sleepy boys inc family - Relationship
Comments: 91
Kudos: 423





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> felt like writing something soft and nice about sbi + clingyduo with some loving family dynamic :] by the way, i know nothing about the adoption process or system or anything, so take what i say with a grain of salt and you'll be golden! heres a bit of a warning for brief talk about abandonment and like, shitty parenting. nothing serious, it's all very light. 
> 
> enjoy <3

“Are you going out to your treehouse again, Tom?” Wilbur called from the couch, glancing up from his book. 

“Yes.” Tommy answered dutifully, standing on his tip-toes to reach his red jumper and pulling it over his head. 

“It looks like it might rain. Are you sure you wanna go out now?” 

“Yes.” Tommy responded with the same amount of seriousness. Wilbur was only thirteen, and yet he acted just like Dad did. _It might snow, it’ll be cold in the treehouse.You haven’t finished your work, go after you finish it. Baby carrots are not guns, and Techno isn’t a target._ Rubbish, Tommy thinks. 

Wilbur shrugs. Good, he couldn’t say anything to change Tommy’s mind anyway. 

He had a long day today. His morning was spent learning times tables, which was rather exhausting. Why do all that math if you have a calculator? Techno said it was important in the real world. Tommy thought that was stupid. Wasn’t he already in the real world? Either way, he considered himself deserving of being able to relax. 

It was two o’clock sharp, the sky was clouded with dark, heavy clouds. The wind whipped and picked up the browning leaves, sending them into the sky to do a dance. Tommy shuts the door behind him, hearing the bell on it jingle as the lock clicks shut. With a deep inhale of fresh air, Tommy heads out. 

His treehouse is only a bit further out into the forest, and a small trail of stones leads him straight from the back garden to it. He hops from step to step, counting aloud. He thinks he skips a number. Does seven come after six or after five? No matter. He continues on. 

He reaches the tall, sturdy oak which houses his treehouse. A small ladder leads up to it’s porch, and Tommy climbs up. 

Dad had made it for him a few summers ago, on his fourth birthday. At first, Wilbur or Techno always came with to “supervise”, but Tommy is big now, so he gets to go play without his brothers. 

On the porch lay his rain boots and umbrella, and on the tiny door hangs an even more tiny sign reading _”DO NOT ENTER!”_ Tommy was quite proud of his artistic ability and skill with a red crayon.

Soft blankets, pillows and toys greet Tommy as soon as he opens the door. He gladly flops down, picking up some of his action fingers and promptly beginning to play. He acts out the story of a brave hero, stacking his pillows to form buildings in a city. He grabs his cape and wooden play sword, stomping around and knocking over buildings. He barely notices the soft patter of rain against the wooden roof, too caught up in his own story. 

It’s when Tommy collapses on the soft floor in a fit of giggles does he become aware of his surroundings. 

A soft knock echoes around the room. 

At first, Tommy thinks he’s hearing things, but soon decides it’s probably his overbearing brother. 

“Wilby!” Tommy groans, “I told you, I can walk back home in the rain perfectly on my own! My umbrella is still here!” 

No response. 

Now, at this point, Tommy was definitely sure that this wasn’t his brother. Wilbur would be knocking hard enough to break knuckles, shouting at Tommy from the other side of the door. Techno simply wouldn’t knock. Plus, it was far too early for Dad to be home. 

The knocking came again. 

Tommy likes to call himself fearless. Though, that isn’t necessarily the right word. His hands shake a little as he reaches for his play sword and creeps to the door. 

He flings open the door, swinging his sword like a madman and yelling. A shocked squeak sounds, and Tommy pauses and opens one eye. 

Before him stands a little boy, probably no older than he is. The boy has both eyes shut and is trembling. Tommy at first prides himself on thinking that he’s scared the boy, but then realizes that he’s sopping wet. 

“Who are you?” Tommy asks, still gripping his sword. After all, he doesn’t know the boy. 

“Please don’t hurt me!” The boy responds. His voice is awfully high pitched. 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Tommy states firmly. The boy opens one eye. They’re blue, like Tommy’s. 

“I’m...Tubbo.” The boy responds. Tommy notices his hesitation, but decides not to comment on it. 

“Tubbo? That’s a stupid name.” Tommy blurts, a grin tugging at his lips. 

“Y-You asked!” Tubbo said, a small smile blooming over his face. 

“You’re all wet, Tubbo!” Tommy exclaims, bringing his sword down. 

“I walked here.” Tubbo says, shaking his sleeves. They cover his hands, the shirt’s way too big on him. 

“Without an umbrella? _Why?_ ” 

This seems to stump Tubbo, as his face palens and his eyes dart down to look at his beaten up sneakers. 

“Jus’ wanted to explore.” He says meekly. 

Tommy is very no-filter. It is common knowledge. Yet, for once in his life, he stops himself from pushing further. 

“Well….would you like to come into my treehouse?” He offers awkwardly. 

Tubbo’s eyes lighten up. “Can I really?” 

“Well, normally, I don’t let anyone in.” Tommy says, pointing to the sign on the door. Tubbo squints at it. 

“Can you….Can you not read it?” Tommy asks. Tubbo shakes his head. “Oh. Well it says ‘do not enter’. My brother taught me to spell it.” 

“So I can’t come in?” Tubbo concludes, sounding defeated. 

“What? No! I never said that. Everyone else can go away but you...you can stay.” Tommy says, scratching the back of his neck. 

Tubbo flashes him the biggest smile he’s ever seen anyone do, and Tommy ignores the way his heart warms a little. 

Tubbo makes sounds of awe as he steps into the treehouse. Tommy lets him try his hair with a blanket, laughing at him when his hair frizzes up. 

“So, this is my treehouse! What do you think?” Tommy says proudly, puffing out his chest. 

“It’s neat!” Tubbo exclaims, “Do you play with anyone else here?” 

Tommy pauses. 

“Well, no. Usually I’m all by myself.” 

Tubbo tilts his head to the side, blue eyes wide. “Well, I’m here. So you don’t have to be lonely anymore!” 

Tommy scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I never said I was lonely!” 

Tubbo grins. “Sure.” 

They play for hours, sword fighting and tackling each other in tickle fights. Tubbo bounces Tommy’s energy right back, in tenfold even. 

Tommy’s had good mates before, friends he really does cherish. 

But he’s never met anyone like Tubbo before. 

They had been laying on the floor in comfortable silence when Tubbo suddenly sat up. 

“I gotta get going.” He said. 

“Why? Is your Dad gonna yell at you if you’re late to supper or something?” Tommy jokes. 

“Someone might be waiting for me.” Tubbo says simply, moving over to where he kicked off his shoes. 

Tommy refrains from begging Tubbo to stay, regardless of how much he wants to. 

Tubbo pulls on his shoes and Tommy follows, deciding that he doesn’t wanna stay by himself anymore. 

“Well, it was fun!” Tubbo says, a smile on his face. But Tommy isn’t dumb. He can hear the tinge of sadness. 

“Wait- are you gonna go and walk out into the rain again?” Tommy says. 

“Huh? Well, yeah. I don’t have a brolly so-” 

Tommy is shoving his own umbrella into Tubbo’s hands in seconds. 

“W-What?” Tubbo stammers, holding the red handle in his hands. 

“You’ll get soaked, and then your Dad will yell at you for coming home wet. I’d know.” He says purposefully. 

“B-But now you don’t have one, and _you’ll_ get yelled at by your Dad-” 

Tommy interrupts Tubbo by pulling the hood of his raincoat over his head and flashing Tubbo a triumphant smile. 

“I’m waterproof!” He announces. Tubbo breaks into light giggles.

“Plus, you can just give it back to me tomorrow.” Tommy shrugs, sleeves brushing and making a sound. 

“Tomorrow?” Tubbo asks, eyes wide. 

“Yeah! You’re gonna come play tomorrow, right?” 

Tubbo nodded so hard it looked like his head might fall off. 

“Alright- you better!” 

-

Tubbo did come the next day. And the next. And the next. 

Tommy would ditch his lessons with Wilbur to go play with Tubbo. His brothers thought he’d gone crazy. 

He liked having Tubbo to himself. No one else could make Tubbo laugh or smile like Tommy did. Tubbo was _his_ best friend. That made Tommy’s heart feel warm. 

Tommy met his Tubbo every single day at the treehouse, and yet, everyday Tubbo would leave earlier than Tommy wanted him too, saying someone was “probably waiting for him.” Admittedly, any time would be too early for Tommy. Tommy never wanted to let Tubbo leave, but he did every time. 

Tommy sits dutifully in the treehouse, tapping his fingers against his pants. He had beaten Tubbo to the treehouse first. Normally, this would earn him bragging rights, and yet, he didn’t feel all too ecstatic anymore. 

Tubbo was late. 

Tubbo had never been late. He’d always come around at some point. 

Tommy stepped out onto the porch, looking for a red umbrella in the distance. It kept raining, and Tubbo still didn’t have an umbrella. So, Tommy just let him use his. 

Soon enough, a figure came into the distance. Tommy’s veins immediately coursed with excitement, but it swiftly vanished upon seeing that the umbrella was not over Tubbo’s head. 

Tommy dashed down the ladder. 

Tubbo was pale, but his nose was rosy. His blue eyes were hidden behind his half-lidded gaze, and his head lolled to the side. His breath came out in painful whimpers, along with the occasional soft cough. 

“What _happened?_ ” Tommy asked, looking over his best friend. 

“The brolly blew inside out.” Tubbo whimpered, his voice painfully raspy. 

“I don’t care about the dummy umbrella, Tubbo- what happened to _you?_ ” 

Tubbo looked like he didn’t have the energy to answer. 

“I’m gonna walk you home. Can you lead the way?” Tommy asked, grabbing the umbrella and fiddling with it until it flipped back to being the way it was supposed to be. Tubbo nodded and quickly huddled into Tommy’s shoulder and began to lead the way through the forest. 

He was shaking. 

Tommy held his hand tight. 

Tubbo seemed to walk quite far to Tommy every day, as the forest winded on. 

Soon enough, Tommy heard the zooming of cars and assumed that they had reached a neighborhood. 

He was wrong. 

A simple freeway stood in front of them, the occasional car passing. 

Tommy was confused, and Tubbo tugged him onwards alongside the road. 

They soon reached a big tree with giant leaves. Tubbo parted one of them, and behind it-

-a box. 

The box was damp and lopsided, with various big words on it that Tommy couldn’t yet read. A green blanket peeked out from inside, as well as a stuff bee that Tubbo immediately scooped up. 

“Home.” He said. 

Tommy felt like this was some joke. 

“No, this isn’t your home. Where is your Dad? Don’t you have any siblings?!” Tommy exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the box. 

Tubbo paused for a moment. 

“Papa left me here a while ago. He told me he’d come back. I’ve been waiting.” Another pause, “I don’t think he’s coming, though.” 

A coughing fit broke out, and Tubbo grasped at his throat, eyes watering. 

“Hurts-” He rasped. 

Tommy looked at the box, then at his shivering, sickly best friend. 

“No.” Tommy said. 

Tubbo gave him a confused look.

“This isn’t a home. C’mon.” Tommy grabbed Tubbo’s hand again and pulled the two back into the forest. 

“Where are we going?” Tubbo asked. His throat rasped so badly it hurt Tommy. 

“Shhh.” He said, bringing a finger to his lips. Tubbo obeyed. 

They walked for a bit, mostly in silence except for the occasional cough or sniffle. Tubbo clinged onto both his bee and Tommy’s hand. They passed the treehouse. Tubbo watched it fade away into the distance. 

Tommy’s home came into view. He pushed open the garden gate, closing it behind them and walking under the awning of the back door. Tubbo gave him a wide-eyed look. Tommy simply closed the umbrella and set it aside. 

Tommy pushed open the door, the bell jingling. 

Tubbo shook furiously as he was met with warm air, eyes squeezing shut. 

“That was quite quick-” Wilbur began, walking into the hallway. He was cut off by his own surprise, staring down at Tubbo. 

“Wilby, this is my best friend.” Tommy said, “He doesn’t have a home.” 

-

Tommy was firmly against chicken bone soup. He thought it was gross and plain, and if he wanted to eat something like that, he could simply drink pure salt water. 

But, as soon as Wilbur said “Tommy, show Tubbo how good chicken soup is,” Tommy became the world’s biggest chicken soup enthusiast. 

He made obnoxious noises of delight as he ate, even going as far as abandoning his spoon and bringing the whole bowl to his mouth, chugging it like he would from a cup. 

A small smile broke out across Tubbo’s face as he used a weak hand to bring the spoon to his mouth. 

“Atta boy.” Wilbur said softly, petting a hand over Tubbo’s hair. “I’ll go make you some more tea. Best you drink lots of liquids and sweat the fever out.” 

“Tommy, come with me?” Wilbur said as he stood. Tommy shook his head. 

“Someone’s gotta watch over Tubbo.” 

“You’re actin’ like I’m not here.” Techno said, monotone as ever. Tubbo giggled, before coughing. 

“Save your throat, kid.” Came Techno’s response. 

“Tommy, c’mon.” Wilbur said, beckoning towards the kitchen with a head jerk. Tommy rolled his eyes and stood. 

“I’ll be back.” Tommy told Tubbo. 

“Techno won’t eat me.” Tubbo said, smiling through the raspiness of his voice. 

Wilbur pulled Tommy into the kitchen, closing the sliding door behind him as he went to grab the kettle and place it on the stove. 

“What do you need my help with?” Tommy asked, standing on his tip-toes to peer onto the counter top. 

Wilbur turned a knob and the stove turned on with a quick _click, click click_. 

“I don’t need your help with anything. Just wanted to talk. Step back.” Wilbur pulled his little brother a bit away from the stove. 

It was quiet for a few beats before Wilbur looked down at Tommy, giving him a soft smile. “I’m really proud of you.” 

Tommy stopped fiddling with the threads of his jumper to look up at Wilbur, eyes wide. 

“You didn’t just leave your friend out there. You brought him home cause you knew we could help- that is quite responsible of you.” Wilbur ruffled Tommy’s hair with a light chuckle. “You really do care about him, don’t you?” 

Tommy nodded. “He’s my best friend. I like him, but, like, a lot!” 

“LIke him like you like me and Techno?” Wilbur asked, moving to take the screeching kettle off the stove. 

Tommy thought for a moment. “More than that.” 

Wilbur gasped, faking shock. “I’m hurt.” Tommy giggled.

“I’m glad you have someone you love who isn’t just family. That’s a good thing.” Wilbur said after a moment, pouring boiling water into mugs. 

_Love_

_Family_

Those both felt like good words to describe how Tommy felt about Tubbo. How Tommy felt about Wilbur, Techno and Dad too. 

Tommy quickly wrapped his arms around Wilbur (basically clinging to his leg). “I like you, Wilby.” He said confidently. Wilbur laughed. 

“I like you too, Tommy! You can go back now, I’m gonna call Dad and fill him in while the tea steeps.” 

Tommy nods and stretches to reach the hole to slide open the door, walking back into the living room to his other brother and best friend. 

-

“Good thing Tommy brought him here. Kid looks rough.” Phil said, placing a gentle hand onto Tubbo’s forehead, then his eyelid. 

Tubbo had fallen asleep a while back. Tommy had been “talkin’ his ear off” as Techno said, he had barely even noticed that Tubbo was no longer conscious. 

“He was worse when Tommy first brought him in. He was shakin’ so hard I thought he’d start phasin’ through the walls.” Techno said. 

“How do you know him, Tommy?” Phil asks, moving to sit in one of the armchairs by the fireplace. 

“He showed up to my treehouse one day and we were playing for a whiles. He was really sick though one day, so I tried to walk him home but he-he took me to a box.” Tommy explained, voice low so that Tubbo wouldn’t wake. 

“What did he tell you about it?” Wilbur questions. 

“He said his Dad left him there.” Tommy recalls. He remembers the cold air, Tubbo’s damp hand in his warm one, the way Tubbo shivered against him. 

Phil and Wilbur’s posture fell, looks of pity washing over their faces. 

“Abandonment.” Phil sighed. 

_Abandonment_ was a word Tommy was yet to hear. He gave Wilbur a confused look. 

“Uhm- Abandonment is when someone leaves something somewhere on its own cause they don’t want it anymore. Tubbo’s Dad abandoned him because he...he didn’t want him anymore.” Wilbur explains slowly. 

Tommy looks over to Tubbo’s peaceful sleeping face. 

Who wouldn’t want Tubbo? 

A sudden anger came over him. 

How bad of a Dad must you be to leave your kid in a _box_ in the _rain_ , on the _side of the road?_

Phil must have noticed Tommy’s anger, cause he stood and placed a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder. 

“It’s not your fault, Tom.” He said softly, rubbing circles into Tommy’s jumper. 

“I know, but it is someones!” He said angrily, quickly met by soft shushing. Tommy bit his lip, watching Tubbo slowly inhale and exhale, eyes closed in peace. “Tubbo doesn’t deserve that. Tubbo deserves a family.” 

A smile crosses Phil’s face. 

“We can give him one.” 

Tommy looked up. 

“I’ve talked it over with your brothers, and I’m planning to ask Tubbo once he feels well, but...I’m thinking of taking him in.” 

Tommy wants to get up and cheer. A wide grin crosses his face and he silently punches the air in victory. 

Wilbur chuckles and a small smile forms on Techno’s face. 

Tommy was always content with two brothers, but he absolutely wouldn’t mind if Tubbo was the third

-

Tubbo was much better in the morning. His speech wasn’t slurred anymore, and his voice was less raspy. It still hurt, according to him, and his nose ran like a waterfall, but some pink had returned to his cheeks. Tommy was overjoyed. 

They had all sat down to eat breakfast when Phil proposed adopting Tubbo. Tubbo had dropped his fork and screamed, and at first everyone thought it was bad news, but he was smiling so wide you could see all his teeth. 

Thus, commenced preparing for a new brother. At least, legally. 

Phil had busied himself with phone calls and papers whilst the four brothers huddled to decide where to put Tubbo in the house.

The house had no spare rooms, as they were all already in use. Phil’s office was downstairs, his bedroom along with Techno and Wilbur’s was on the second floor, and Tommy’s room was the refurbished attic. 

“Maybe we could clear out one of the storage rooms and have that be his room?” Wilbur offered. 

“No!” Tommy immediately shot down, stomping his foot. Wilbur and Techno shushed him. 

“We don’t have many other options.” Techno sighed. 

“He can stay in my room! We can share!” Tommy said, earning him another round of shushing. 

“You’ll hate it once you get older.” Wilbur chided. 

Older. Tubbo was gonna live with them until they were old. 

Tommy was too giddy to think about whether sharing a room with Tubbo was truly a bad idea. 

“ _Please?_ Tubbo, would you wanna share a room with me?” Tommy begged, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Can I see it?” Tubbo asked. Tommy nodded, and the brothers made their way upstairs. 

The attic’s entrance was a ladder in Wilbur’s room. The boys climbed up, Tubbo making sounds of awe the entire way there. 

The attic was generally big. Small firefly lights wrapped around the wooden ceiling panels, and a small window casted the foggy day’s light into the room. Tommy’s mattress was pushes against one of the walls, toys and things strewn around the floor. 

“I don’t know if there’s enough room for another bed here-” Wilbur began, but Tommy swifty cut him off. 

“We can share! Right, Tubbo?” Tommy asked. Tubbo was looking around the room in awe, eyes wide, but he nodded. 

“Well, if you insist.” Wilbur sighed. Tommy cheered, and Techno shushed him. 

He grabbed Tubbo’s hand, giving it an excited squeeze. Tubbo squeezed back. 

-

Phil closed the front door, shrugging off his rain boots. 

“Hopefully the mail didn’t get soaked.” He said, dropping envelopes onto the table as he took his coat off. 

Wilbur grabbed one of them, turning it over in his hands. “S’ damp, not a big deal though.” 

“Good, good. There’s something there for you.” Phil said, gesturing at the stack of mail. 

Wilbur grinned. “Probably my letter from Niki. About time she wrote back.” 

Techno glanced up from his book. “She better have written down those book recommendations she promised to give me.” 

“I bet she did. She isn’t very forgetful.” Wilbur reassured, walking back to the couch with his envelope. Techno hummed in response, pushing his glasses further up his face. 

Phil picked up a particularly thick package, scanning over it. 

“Whazzat, Dad?” Tommy asked, looking up from the card game he was playing with Tubbo. 

Phil’s eyes widened. 

He immediately went over to the couch, plopping down and tearing the envelope open. Techno and Wilbur looked up, and the two small boys on the floor paused their card game. 

“ _Philza Minecraft_ ,” Phil began, reading the paper aloud, “ _After much oversight and analysis, we are happy to inform you that your adoption request has been accepted. We hope you welcome Tubbo Minecraft into your home with open arms._ ” 

The room broke into cheers. 

Tommy brought Tubbo into a tight crushing hug, smiling into the smaller’s hair. Tubbo’s shoulders shook, and Tommy pulled away. 

“Why’re you crying?” He said worriedly, brushing a tear off Tubbo’s cheek with his thumb. 

“I-I’m just so…” Tubbo said through sobs, “I’m so _happy._ ” 

Tommy hugged him again. 

After Tommy, Wilbur picked Tubbo up and spun him around. Techno ruffled his hair, and Phil gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

The family decided to spend the night watching a movie. They all sat together, pressed shoulder to shoulder on the couch. Tommy glanced over to Tubbo. His eyes were half lidded, and a small content smile was painted on his face. 

They all fit together like pieces of a puzzle. One happy, loving, safe, warm family. 

-

That night, Tubbo and Tommy lay beside one another, snuggled up under their shared quilt, listening to the rain hitting the roof. 

“How do you feel?” Tommy whispered, shifting around in the covers. 

Tubbo smiled softly. “Warm.”

“I feel happy.” Tommy responded. 

“This is better than the treehouse.” Tubbo said through a yawn, eyes glossy with sleep deprivation. 

Tommy would normally protest, protecting his treehouse’s honor, but he was far too tired. 

“G’night Tommy.” Tubbo whispered, shutting his eyes. 

“Night.” 

In the darkness, Tommy’s right hand found Tubbo’s left, and the two fell slowly into a deep, peaceful sleep, knowing that they were both safe and loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really hoped you liked it <3 _i might add more chapters to this, so please do subscribe to the work or me as a user!_ it's totally free, and you can always unsubscribe. if you subscribe to this work, you'll know if i update it. if you subscribe to me as a user, you can see when i update any of my works (i have a few) :D if i do update this, it'll probably be nice slice-of-life-y type chapters. in the meantime, thank you so much for reading! comments and kudos fuel me, please leave some, i'd really appreciate it <3 see you!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm leads to an unexpected family game night. Chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ask and you shall receive!
> 
> expect more updates! i just set it to three chapters for now so i dont rush myself or make this work look like it's gonna be super long, or has a very extended plotline.
> 
> **heres your reminder that NOTHING in this fic is romantic. god forbid you assume it is or try and twist my words to make it sound romantic. familial love, people!**

Tubbo is awoken by the mattress shaking. He groggily opens an eye, groaning a bit as he wakes up. 

Tommy is jumping on the bed, cheering to himself as his fingertips brush the ceiling. 

“Tommy…” Tubbo groaned, flopping over onto his back. 

“About _time!_ ” Tommy exclaimed, breathless from his jumping. “Get up! It’s the weekend!” 

“You’re unreasonably excited over this.” Tubbo said, shifting the blanket over his shoulder. Tommy began to jump again, much to Tubbo’s dismay. 

“No lessons with Wilbur and Techno! Woohoo!” Tommy cheered. 

Suddenly, the latch to the attack door swung open and Wilbur’s head came into view. 

“You little piece of shit! Stop fucking jumping, my entire ceiling is shaking!” He barked, dark circles under his eyes. 

“I’m gonna tell Dad you said that! I’m gonna tell him you said bad words in front of me!” Tommy shouted back. 

“Fuck you!” The trapdoor slammed shut. 

A brief moment of silence. Tubbo tugged on the blanket that his brother stood upon. 

“Move, I’m going back to sleep.” 

Tommy got off the mattress, and Tubbo nearly thanked him until Tommy grabbed the covers and yanked them off the bed. 

Tubbo squeaked at the sudden cold that eveloped him, hugging his shoulders. 

“I refuse to be up by myself.” Tommy declared, holding the covers over his head. 

“Fine, fine.” Tubbo mumbled, sitting up and scooting off the bed. Tommy smiled smugly and dropped the covers back into the mattress in one big, messy clump. 

Tommy walked over to the window, the glass in front of his face immediately fogging. 

“Oh, it’s all rainy.” He noted, gazing over the forest. “It’s like-” 

“When you met me?” Tubbo responded, walking over and leaning his cheek on Tommy’s shoulder. 

It had been four years since Tommy met Tubbo and Tubbo officially became a part of the family, and yet it felt like four centuries. The duo was eleven now, and yet, their maturity wasn’t a far cry from what it used to be when they were seven. 

Tommy rolled his eyes, but Tubbo proudly noticed his smile. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.” 

The duo stood and watched the rainy December landscape for a few more beats before Tommy shrugged Tubbo’s head off his shoulder and stretched upwards in a yawn. 

“Downstairs?” Tubbo asked, combing a hand through his hair. 

Tommy made a sound of assent and opened the trapdoor. 

-

“Morning, Techno.” Tubbo greeted as he shuffled downstairs. 

“Mornin’. What was all the yellin’ about?” Techno shut his laptop, tossing it aside on the couch. 

“Wilbur said swear words. He _swore_ at me, Techno.” Tommy whined. 

“What? You a pussy?” Techno responded. Perfectly monotone, naturally. 

Wilbur came out from behind the two. “Oh, most definitely.” 

Techno smirked. “Are you answerin’ for yourself or for Tommy?” 

Tommy and Tubbo burst into laughter as Wilbur stood, searching for an answer. 

“You’re my twin! Why’re you coming after _me?_ ” Wilbur cried. 

“You’re all my brothers, my need to make fun of you guys pertains to _all_ of you.” 

“Good morning, boys.” Phil greeted, appearing out of the kitchen. Techno froze, and the three other boys snorted. 

“Dad! Wilbur swore at me! He swore-” Tommy immediately began, but Phil cut him off. 

“Tommy, the swear jar is for you. Wilbur is eighteen, he can say what he pleases.” Phil chided. Wilbur grinned. 

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Whatever. _Whatever_. I guess this whole family can an-ta-go-na-nize _me_ then.” 

“Antagonize.” Techno chirped. 

A pause. 

“What?” 

“It’s pronounced _antagonize_.” 

“Fuck you, Techno.” 

“That’ll be a quarter, Tommy.” Phil said simply, turning back into the kitchen as Tommy screamed into his hands. 

-

The rain ruined all of Tubbo and Tommy’s plans. 

Their plan was to go out to the treehouse and, as Tommy put it, “scheme”. But, at around noon, the woman on the telly said things might flood and there will most definitely be lightning. 

Tommy argued that the woman said “might”, therefore there was a chance it couldn’t. And, the treehouse was in a literal tree. Phil argued that he, quote, “wouldn’t let his sons raft their way back home because they’re stupid little idiots.” Then lightning struck, Tubbo screamed, and Phil declared that it was final. 

So, Tubbo and Tommy were sat on the couch watching bad old comedy shows while Wilbur gently strummed on his guitar in the background. 

“So, the show’s called _Everybody Loves Raymond_ , but in the show itself, _nobody_ loves Raymond. That’s just plain irony, isn’t it?” Tubbo said as a laugh track played from the TV. 

“Oh my _god,_ Tubbo. It seriously does not require that much thought. Seriously.” Tommy groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

Suddenly, Phil came clamoring down the stairs, stacks of thin boxes in his arms. 

Tommy, Tubbo and Wilbur stared in confusion as Techno paled.

“ _No._ ” Techno gasped as Phil dropped the boxes onto the dining table. 

“ _Yes._ ” Phil responded, staring proudly at the assortment of boxes. 

“You’ll never catch me alive!” Techno jumps up from the couch but is quickly grabbed by Wilbur. 

“You can’t leave me here alone, Techno!” He cried. 

“Sacrifices must be made.” Techno responded solemnly. 

“Oh, stop being all dramatic. You can pick the games, if you want. We’ve got Candy Land, Monopoly…” Phil pushed aside boxes, reading their colorful titles off. 

Tubbo gasped. “Board games? Are we really?” 

Phil nodded. “Nothin’ better to do, right? The power might go out, too. Things are rough out there.” 

Tubbo flicked off the telly, the pre-recorded laugh tracks fading into nothing. He pulled Tommy off the couch and over to the table. 

“Techno gets to pick the game since he’s whiny.” Phil said. 

“I am _not_ whiny.” Techno protested. 

No one looked convinced. They dropped the subject. 

“Well, if I’m picking, I pick…” Techno scanned over the boxes, before landing on one, eyes widening, “Monopoly.” 

“Oh, you’re going _down!_ ” Tommy giggled, taking a seat. Tubbo took the one beside him, grinning. 

“I call banker!” Wilbur exclaimed, grabbing the fake colorful paper money and setting it in front of himself. 

After dealing money and selecting characters, their heated game begins. 

Five minutes in, there’s already an issue. 

“You rolled that dice wrong!” Tommy shouts. 

“How do you roll dice wrong?! I just shook it and it came out that way!” Techno exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the innocent die sitting on the table. 

“That isn’t fair!”

“Suck it up!”

Phil sighed. 

Thirty minutes. Another issue. 

“Oh-Go to jail, Tubbo.” Wilbur said, picking up Tubbo’s cat token and moving it to the jail square. 

Tubbo looked up. “Huh? Jail?” 

“You landed in the jail square, so you go to jail.” Wilbur explained. 

Slowly but suddenly, Tubbo’s eyes begin to water. 

“B-But I don’t wanna go to jail!” He cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

Phil leaned over, drawing comforting circles into his son’s back. “Oh, sweetie, you aren’t _really_ going to jail, it’s just a game-” 

“You made Tubbo cry!” Tommy exclaimed angrily, banging a fist on the table. 

“It’s chance! How was I supposed to know he’d land there?” Wilbur shouted. 

“Get him out! Pay money!” 

“I can’t pay money-I’m the bank!” 

“Do it- or else!” 

“Or else _what?_ ” Wilbur leaned back, folding his arms. 

Tommy suddenly stood, leaning over the table. He opened his mouth to say something and-

-the power went out. 

The dining room went dark, and the silence was filled by the sound of heavy rain and the distant rumble of thunder. 

“I’ll get the candles. Please don’t kill one another while I’m gone.” Phil said, standing up. 

“No guarantees.” Wilbur narrowed his eyes at Tommy. 

“ _Wilbur._ ” 

“Sorry.” He didn’t sound very sorry. 

Phil sighed and vanished upstairs. 

Silence. 

“You know? We should play Jeopardy instead.” Techno says. 

“Good idea!” Wilbur chirps. 

Tommy rubs at Tubbo’s cheek with his sleeve, cupping his other cheek with his free hand. 

Once Tubbo’s tears have dried, they clean up the Monopoly board, just in time for Phil to return with candles and a box of matches. 

“Oh? Decided against Monopoly?” He asks, setting candles around the house. 

Their silence is enough of an answer for him. 

Despite the chaos, Phil finds himself smiling a bit. 

He can’t deny he enjoys seeing his sons interact. He knows all the fighting is lighthearted, too. A game of Monopoly won’t divide the brothers. And that’s something he truly loves about them. 

-

After a few round of Jeopardy and an absurd amount of playful banter and legitimate arguments over math equations, the family began to grow tired. 

Tommy and Tubbo laid side by side on the floor by the fireplace, their game of Uno long since abandoned. 

“Maybe we should all just head to bed. Hopefully the power’ll be back by tomorrow mornin’.” Phil called out. Wilbur gladly agreed, rubbing his eyes. 

“I call the bathroom first.” He says, shuffling up the stairs. No one had the energy to argue. 

After he was all washed up, Tubbo fell backwards onto the mattress, sighing heavily as his back landed against the soft covers. 

He stared up at the ceiling, the rain loud against the gable. 

Tubbo felt warm. 

Ever since he had come to this family, he felt warm. 

Many of his memories from his childhood prior to living with his new family were faded, broken pieces of what they used to be. 

But, Tubbo remembers things he wished he didn’t. 

And forgot some things he wished he would remember. 

He remembers the stench of alcohol. He remembers shouting, arguments, glass bottles shattering against tile floors. 

He doesn’t remember his father’s face. 

Father is the right word, isn’t it? It doesn’t feel like it. 

Phil is Tubbo’s father. The faceless man is just another bum who came through Tubbo’s life and left it a wasteland. 

The ball of anger that lay dormant in Tubbo’s core began to awaken. His thoughts lit a match and slowly the ball was set ablaze. 

Tubbo didn’t deserve those things. 

_Right?_

Tubbo was sharply drawn out of his thoughts by a sudden wait collapsing on him. 

“Tommy-!” Tubbo gasped, but it was too late. 

Tommy threw himself on top of Tubbo, crushing weight squeezing the air out of his lungs. 

“You looked so gloomy!” Tommy laughed, his chest vibrating against Tubbo’s face. 

“I’m _suffocating-!_ ” 

Yet, with Tommy laughing and the comfort and warmth of the room, Tubbo found himself laughing a bit too. 

“Oh jesus, you sound strangled. Hold on, let me-” Tommy rolled off of Tubbo, laying beside him. Tubbo took gasps of air, enjoying how fresh it felt in his airways. 

Tommy laughed again, and Tubbo joined him fully. 

They were silent for a few beats. Tommy bit on his bottom lip. 

“You okay, mate?” He asked, voice soft. 

Tommy rarely got this way. It was annoying bouts of energy 24/7. So, Tubbo knew he truly had worried him. 

Tubbo smiled softly. 

“I’m fine.” 

Tommy grinned, reassured by his words. “It’s cause I’m here right? That’s what they say in the movies. Happy now that you’re here!” 

“I take it back. Go away, you’re loud.” 

Tommy immediately sat up, opening his mouth to protest-and his head hit the slanted ceiling. 

Being Tommy’s brother and best friend, Tubbo sharply inhaled, grabbing Tommy’s hand in effort to console him. Also being Tommy’s brother and best friend, Tubbo collapsed in himself and laughed like a madman. 

“I-Oh-Oh my god!” He said between gasps, “You do that like every other month! Haven’t you learned that our ceilings are slanted?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up! I’m gonna have a bump on my head tomorrow.” Tommy whined, rubbing at his blonde hair. 

The thought of Tommy with a sore bump on his head, parting his hair sent Tubbo further into laughter. 

Suddenly, the latch on the trap door creaked and it slowly opened. 

“Oh no. He’s gonna swear at us again.” Tommy mumbled. 

Wilbur’s head peeked in, his glasses skewed on his face. “You guys are gonna sleep soon, right?” 

“Yes.” 

“Promise?” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay. Love you guys.” The trap door shut. 

“Did he just say ‘love you guys’?” Tubbo asked, tossing the covers aside and moving to his respective end of the bed. 

“Maybe. Maybe you’re hearing things.” Tommy said through a yawn. Tubbo rolled his eyes. 

The room was quiet again, nothing except the sound of the rain. 

Tommy shifted, and there was now an arm wrapped around Tubbo’s waist. 

“Tell anyone and you’re dead.” Tommy whispered, barely audible.

“You wouldn’t have the guts.”

“Tubbo.” 

“Are you embarrassed cause you’re a softy?” Tubbo teased. 

“You are so vulnerable right now. I could launch you across the room.” 

“You are eleven and built like a toaster pastry.” 

“ _Goodnight, Tubbo._ ” Tommy said through gritted teeth. 

Tubbo rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. 

He leaned into the embrace. Not like he had anything against it. 

“Night, Toms.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...tubbo backstory, anyone?!
> 
> thank you so much for the support, it's mindblowing! im honestly incredibly proud of this fic. its going the way i want it to, and so far im really motivated to work on it. i love writing soft things like this, i feel liberated (new word in my dictionary). i hope you guys liked this chapter!! comments and kudos are REQUIRED! im joking of course, but they're very much so appreciated. i try and respond to every single one!!! see you guys!! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you’re a twin, lots of issues arise. Especially when you and your brother are polar opposites and yet share the same face. So, Techno decides it’s time for some change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO i hope you like this chapter! i sat down and wrote it all in one go, and im quite happy with the dialogue in this one. i hope you like it!

Techno groggily shuffles down the stairs, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Mornin’” He calls. Phil and Wilbur respond. No Tommy and Tubbo though. 

“Good morning. I caught Tommy bein’ all soft earlier.” Wilbur snickered. 

“Don’t ridicule the poor boy. He’s just touchy.” Phil chides, stirring a spoon in his coffee. 

“He treats Tubbo like a stuffed animal.” Wilbur leans into the palm of his hand, rolling a sausage around his plate with a fork. “Takes him everywhere, plays games with him, falls asleep clinging to him…” 

Techno snorts, taking a seat beside Wilbur at the table to find a plate already laid out for him. He picks up his fork and takes to a hashbrown first. 

Suddenly, there’s a hand in his hair. 

“Your hair’s gotten all long. You sure you don’t wanna cut it?” Wilbur asks, twirling a lock of Techno’s shoulder-length hair around his finger. 

You see, when you and your brother share a face, you start to want to change other parts of yourself. Techno can’t see without his glasses, so that’s a no-go, and they already have different clothing styles but even so that doesn’t really differentiate them enough. So, Techno took to his hair. 

“I’m sure. I like it long.” Techno says. 

“Never took you for the type that wants long hair.” Phil remarked. 

Techno shrugged. 

The day after the rain storm was decently gloomy. It rained on and off, and there wasn’t power for a few hours in the morning. Tommy made sure to complain as much as possible until the telly didn’t miraculously flick on and he and Tubbo could take to watching the morning cartoons. 

“You’re a bit old to be watchin’ that, don’t you think?” Techno asked, shrugging a jumper over his head. Tommy and Tubbo shushed him simultaneously. Even Wilbur looked interested in the cartoon on TV. 

“Where are ya off to?” Phil said, opening his laptop. 

“Convenience store, probably. Any snack requests?” Techno called to his brothers. 

Tommy and Wilbur requested chocolate, as Tubbo requested crisps. Techno dutifully made note of his brother’s requests before walking out with his umbrella. 

The convenience store was only a ways down the road, and the drizzle wasn’t too hard. So he walked. 

The old woman who usually worked the register cheerfully greeted Techno, showing him where to put his umbrella. He put his cyan umbrella beside several others before walking into the aisles. 

Techno got two bars of milk chocolate and a bag of crisps he knew Tubbo liked, whilst getting two candy bars for himself and Phil. 

He was walking over to the cashier, when he noticed a specific product in a specific aisle. 

A box of pink hair dye stood alone in its own little section on the shelf. It was a light shade of pink. 

The obnoxious woman on the box stared at Techno with a soul-piercing gaze. Techno stared back. 

It devolved into a challenge, the pink haired woman almost _taunting_ Techno with her stare and Techno unable to look away. 

_Come on. You know you want to,_ The woman said, but didn’t say because she’s a photograph on a box.

_Is it really worth it? What if I get called a fruit in the streets by those other boys my age?_ Techno thinks worriedly. 

_Do you seriously care about what those douches say to you? It’s not like you go outside anyway,_ The woman says. 

_Fair point._

_Think about it. You’ll truly give Wilbur the space to be an individual. To not be his twin, to finally separate yourself from him and let yourself shine. Let **him** shine. That’s what matters._

For a moment, Techno forgets that he’s having a conversation with a woman on a hair dye box and truly thinks, _Damn, she’s right._

He gives her one last hard, long stare. 

_Pussy,_ She taunts. 

“Fuck you,” Techno mumbles, tucking the box under his arm. 

-

Techno gets home to the loud sounds of yells and video games. Wilbur is cussing Tommy out, conking him over the head with a controller. Tommy yells protests, and Tubbo looks like he’s going to silently combust from held-in laughter. He rolls his eyes fondly. Just another day in their household. 

“Crisps.” He says, tossing the bag to Tubbo. Tubbo smiles gratefully, immediately opening the bag. Techno sets the chocolate and candy bars on the coffee table, deciding that Wilbur and Tommy will figure things out for themselves once they finish arguing. 

Techno takes the tiny box he deliberately hid from his family and dashes to the bathroom, promptly locking the door behind him. 

He opened the box, spilling its contents out onto the counter. He had the bleach, dye, applicators, and his phone in case he needs to do last-minute quick Google searches. 

There was no way to go but forwards. 

And, he had totally ripped the box in the process of opening it, so returning the dye was no longer a possibility. 

Everything went smoothly as Techno applied the bleach. The fumes made his eyes water and the smell was enough to make him wonder if he was dying. When the time came to rinse, he was beyond glad. 

He stepped out of the shower, drying his hair until it was entirely dry. He stepped in front of the mirror and immediately clapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from making a sound. 

He was _blonde._

Techno couldn’t have applied the pink dye faster. 

His hands stained pink. Techno wondered if that was a sign that the dye went bad (can it do that? Techno doesn’t know), but it turns out he just should’ve worn gloves. Oh well. 

He rinses.

He dries. 

He pushes his glasses up onto his nose. 

Well, his hair is definitely _pink._

It’s pink, and soft against his shoulders from how many times he washed it. His roots are still a little brown since he was too scared to bring the bleach any closer to his skin, but otherwise, his hair is entirely pink. 

He shakes his head a little, and the pink swishes. 

Techno catches himself smiling. 

He can’t deny that he likes it. He feels confident. He feels like his own person. 

He trashes what's left of the hair dye kit, watching with much satisfaction as the woman on the box disappears into the rubbish bin. 

Techno leaves the bathroom, phone in hand and a content smile on his face. He walks into the living room, plopping down on the couch beside Wilbur (who’s still fighting with Tommy), happy to see that his candy bar remains untouched. He lets himself sink into his phone as he tears open the wrapper, focused in on his own business. 

He barely notices when the room goes quiet as his presence is noted. 

Truth be told, Techno completely forgot he had made quite the drastic change without telling anyone that he was making it. 

Suddenly everyone talks at once. 

Tubbo is gasping in shock, Tommy is spluttering, Phil is dragging out a very long “What?!”, and Wilbur looks like he’s about to break into an enthusiastic cheer. 

Techno almost finds himself holding his breath. Do they like it? Do they think it looks bad? He never asked for permission. Maybe this was a bad idea. 

“You look _good!_ ” Tubbo exclaims. Everyone makes sounds of agreement. 

“Pink is seriously your colour!” Wilbur says, taking a lock of Techno’s hair into his hand. 

Techno knows he’s red as a beet. His face feels like an inferno. 

Phil grins. “So _that’s_ why you were all cooped up in the bathroom for like, hours. Look at ya, all independent.” 

“Me next!” Tommy shouts, and the room devolves to laughter. 

-

Techno is over the moon, although he won’t show it. 

His heart is thoroughly warmed by how much everyone likes his new hair color. Tubbo and Tommy seem to be inspired, discussing what colors they’d like to dye their hair. 

Night falls, and Techno finds himself laying in bed, a book in his lap, like how he spends most evenings. 

A soft knock sounds. 

“Come in.” Techno says, bookmarking his page and shutting his book. 

The door opens slightly, and a familiar brunette peeks in. 

“Wilbur?” 

Wilbur smiles sheepishly. He’s in his pajamas, glasses not on his face. 

“Sleepover?” He asks softly. 

Techno is on his feet without another word. 

When Wilbur and Techno were kids, they didn’t want to share a room. They’d decided that they already shared enough, like faces, hair colour, eye colour and a Dad. Yet, they’d still occasionally sleep in each other’s beds, calling it a sleepover. Phil never minded. 

They hadn’t had a sleepover in a bit. Techno would deny missing them, although he did. 

Techno cozies himself in Wilbur’s blankets as the other shuts the light off. 

They lay down under the covers, feeling like kids again. 

“Hey,” Wilbur says suddenly, scooching in close, “Why’d you dye your hair?” 

“Well,” Techno shrugs, “You know. Thought it’d look good.” 

Wilbur raises an eyebrow. “You don’t fool me. Really, what’s the real reason?” 

Naturally Wilbur sees through him. He always does. 

Techno ponders his response for a bit before speaking. 

“I wanted to give you some room to be your own person. You and I share like, everything. A house. A dad. A face. We always have. But we’re gonna be adults soon, so….so it’s time you felt like yourself. And not an extension of me. And vice versa.” 

Wilbur smiles, soft and gentle. 

“You’re a lot more caring then you seem.” He says softly. 

“I get that a lot” 

They talk about random things, switching between laughing and having serious discussions. It must be late at night when they finally get bored. 

“I’m not tired yet.” Wilbur sighs, and Techno nods. 

Wilbur glances up at the ceiling before grinning. 

“Wanna spy on them?” 

Techno glances up at the ceiling in confusion before remembering that Tubbo and Tommy lay just above him. 

It’s childish to spy on your younger brothers. And yet Techno nods. Not like he’s got anything better to do. 

They sneak up the ladder, opening the trap door and peeking in. 

The warm glow of fairy lights fills the room, casting a dim light over Tubbo’s face. 

Normally, Tubbo slept facing the wall, it was common knowledge, and yet, he now slept facing the trapdoor. 

An arm was wrapped under his shoulder, pulling him close. Blonde hair peeked out from behind Tubbo’s brown. 

“Ough, I wish I brought my phone. Such good blackmail material.” Techno whispered. Wilbur snickered. 

“He’d kill you!” 

“You think I’m scared of him?”

They close the trapdoor and crawl back into bed, sinking into the plush covers. 

They lay in silence, and drowsiness washes over Techno in waves. Wilbur’s eyelids flutter, and Techno can tell he feels the same way. 

“You know,” Wilbur says through a yawn, “I’m glad you’re my brother.” 

Techno’s heart bloomed with warmth. For once, he let himself express it. 

“Me too.” He says, a smile on his face.

Wilbur smiles back. 

He pulls Techno in for a hug and Techno gladly lets himself sink into it, comforted by his brother’s presence. 

They fall asleep like that, knowing that despite anything, they’ll always have each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was fun. ive got big plans for chapter four, hopefully you guys wont mind some angst :] if you do mind, blame my best friend. she encouraged me. im definitely going to publish chapter five as well! itll be a return to fluffy things. i dont have any plans for this fic to end any time soon, and im very happy writing it. i hope you liked this chapter!!! see you <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schlatt’s done a lot of shit wrong, but he isn’t one to regret. He doesn’t waste his time feeling guilty over things that are now out of his control. But there is one thing that Schlatt will forever regret, one thing that was entirely in his control, but never will be again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hurt myself writing this one.
> 
> **general warning for talk about alcohol and smoking, as well as bad parenting and abandonment.  
> **
> 
> **blame my best friend for this one. enjoy...?**

“Puffy, please. You’ve got to help me.” 

_”Do you realize how insane this is? How insane **you** are? This isn’t my business. You’re the one who hooked up with a girl and landed with a son, not me. I can’t afford to feed your drunk ass as well as a literal freaking baby-”_

“Puffy, Connor doesn’t want kids in the place, plus, I haven’t paid rent in a good three months. All you’d have to do is look after the kid. I’ll take like three jobs, I’ll work my fucking ass off to pay for myself. Please. I have nowhere else to go.” 

_”...”_

_”...Fine. You can stay. Not forever. The minute you can hold your own and the baby’s, you're out.”_

“Yes. Yes of course. Oh my god, Puffy. Thank you so much.” 

_”Sure. I’m on my way, then.”_

-

Schlatt knew he was a shit dad. 

He knew it when he stood in front of Connor, holding a crying baby in his arms. 

He knew it when Connor said _”I’m sorry man, but this was gonna happen kid or not.”_

He knew it when he got into the back of Puffy’s old car. When she asked, _”Soooo, what’s his name?”_ and Schlatt said he didn’t know. 

He knew when he picked _Tubbo,_ of all names, cause he thought it sounded “funny”.

Six years went by. Schlatt still knew he was a shit dad. 

It was a Sunday morning, Schlatt’s time off. 

Puffy was seated at the kitchen counter, encouraging her _own_ kid to eat his vegetables. 

That night in December, when Schlatt had called his sister in a panic, he completely forgot she had a kid of her own. 

A kid who was abandoned. 

According to Puffy, he was much younger when she found him. Younger than he is now, which is the nice round age of eleven. At first, Schlatt thought it wouldn’t be a big deal, being around another kid. Didn’t kids need other kids to live and socialize with? Or is that guinea pigs? Schlatt doesn’t really care. 

Either way, it didn’t matter to him, until the kid became old enough to be annoying. 

The kid, named _Dream_ , (a stupid fucking name, Schlatt thinks) immediately took to Tubbo as his little brother. Dream himself was firmly against vegetables, so, to avoid the scorn of his mother and uncle, he’d airplane his vegetables into Tubbo’s mouth. Smart, but annoying.

Thankfully, on most days, Dream was off at school, after that going off to play with his friends, meaning he only got back in the evenings. 

But, on Sundays, Dream didn’t have school, and he was chalk full of energy in the mornings.

So, today Schlatt was getting his end of it all. 

“Why isn’t Tubbo here?” Dream asks in his annoyingly high-pitched voice, climbing onto the couch to sit beside Schlatt. 

“He’s sleepin’.” Schlatt said, doing his best to pay no mind to the hyperactive eleven year old. 

“That’s dumb. Could you wake him up?” 

“It’s not dumb, kid. Toddlers hafta sleep a lot.” 

Dream seems to ponder that. 

“But why?” 

Another thing Schlatt hates about kids. They ask so many fucking questions. 

“I dunno why. Does it matter? Go back to your Mom.” Schlatt says, flicking through channels on the TV. 

“Momma’s cooking though. She doesn’t like it when I talk to her while she’s cooking.” 

“And Uncle Schlatt doesn’t like it when you talk to him while he’s watchin’ TV. Shoo.” 

_”Schlatt.”_

Schlatt heaves a heavy sigh as he turns to look at Puffy, who stands in the doorway to the living room wearing an apron and a frown. 

“Use nice language when talking to my son, please.” She says, folding her arms. 

“I _am_ usin’ nice language. He’s eleven, I don’t need to coddle him or some shit.” 

“Schlatt!” Puffy gasps. “If you weren’t financially unstable, I’d make a swearing jar for you.” She huffs, before turning to her son and speaking sweetly, “Dream, if Uncle Schlatt says anything mean to you, you can always tell me, ‘kay?” 

Dream nods obediently. Schlatt rolls his eyes. 

Puffy gives Schlatt one final glare before walking back into the kitchen. 

Dream gives Schlatt the biggest shit-eating grin he’s ever seen an eleven year old do. 

Schlatt gives him the finger.

Dream opens his mouth, probably to call for his mom, until a loud crash interrupts the silence. 

Tubbo always found a way to make his consciousness known. 

Dream immediately makes a break for the bedroom, Schlatt sprinting after him. 

“Damn, you’re fast!” Schlatt exclaims as Dream speeds down the hallway. 

Naturally, Dream is in the bedroom before Schlatt is, meaning Tubbo is in Dream’s arms within seconds. 

The nightstand tipped over, and the lamp that was on it toppled to the floor. Schlatt swears under his breath, kneeling to examine the damage. 

Thankfully, nothing had broken. Schlatt set the nightstand back up, not bothering to adjust the skewed lampshade. 

“Dream, give me my son.” He said sternly. 

Dream clung to Tubbo. 

“No. He coulda’ hurt himself!” Dream cried. 

The six year old simply sat in Dream’s arms, wide-eyed and silent. 

“Yeah, and it isn’t my fault! I thought he was sleeping!” Schlatt abandons his argument, turning to address his son. “Tubbo, c’mon. You’re a big boy, come to me.”

Tubbo wriggles in Dream’s arms, and Schlatt feels a sense of pride at Tubbo’s obedience. 

“I don’t wanna let him go though! I wanna play!” Dream whines, still holding onto Tubbo. 

Suddenly, Tubbo’s face twists. “Hurts!” He exclaims, shoving Dream away. 

Dream is pinching Tubbo, squeezing him close. 

This isn’t supposed to outrage Schlatt as much as it does. 

And yet, seeing Tubbo’s face contort with pain, the way he squirmed in Dream’s hold, it made Schlatt fair angrier than he should be. 

“Hands _off._ ” With a swift motion, Schlatt scooped Tubbo into his arms and shoved Dream away. 

Shove, almost a throw. 

Dream flew backwards, landing hard on his ass. Tubbo rubbed at his arm, the skin a bright red. 

“Listen here, you little shit,” Schlatt began, walking to stand above Dream. The boy looked up at him, terrified. 

Schlatt opened his mouth to continue, but felt a piercing gaze hit his back. 

He turned around to see a horrified Puffy. 

“What are you _doing?!_ ” She cried, running into the room. 

“He was hurting Tubbo!” Schlatt yelled defensively. 

“Did he hurt you, duckling?” Puffy asked softly, kneeling beside Dream. Schlatt prepared himself for the onslaught of dramatic tears, but didn’t receive any. 

“A little. But he just pushed me.” Dream said. Was the kid….defending him?

Puffy didn’t seem convinced. 

“You stay here and watch your cousin, Uncle Schlatt and I are gonna go out and have a talk, okay? Do you need a bandaid?” Puffy said, still eyeing Schlatt. 

Dream shook his head and Puffy planted a kiss on his forehead. 

“Leave Tubbo here.” She instructed. Schlatt knew protest wasn’t gonna get him anywhere. 

He set Tubbo back down on the bed, giving Dream a warning glare. The boy seemed to understand. 

Puffy shut the door as soon as they stepped out into the hallway. 

“You need to get your act together.” She said grimly. 

“The hell do you mean?” 

“You know what I mean, Schlatt. I’ve been housing you and Tubbo for seven years. _Seven years._ I’ve put up with your drinking, your smoking, your aggression, but I draw the line at my son.” She bit. 

Schlatt couldn’t deny that her words stung. She was his sister, afterall. 

“The kid-” 

“Dream. His name is Dream, and you’ll call him that.” 

“Fine. _Dream_ was holding Tubbo and didn’t wanna let him go, and he almost split skin with how tightly he was holding him.” 

“So you throw him into a wall in retaliation?” 

“Oh come on!” Schlatt groaned, “The kid said himself, he’s fine. No _booboos_ , no _owies_ , he’s _fine._ I don’t see why this is such a big deal.” 

“You can’t keep being so cold to Dream and expecting me to put up with it!” 

“He and I just don’t mix! He’s an off-the-fucking-walls eleven year old and I’m a grown ass man.” 

_”Schlatt,”_ Puffy said, her voice full of warning, “You’re gonna get your shit together, or you’re fucking out.” 

Schlatt paused. 

“Out?” 

“Of the apartment. You’re out of here. I’ll kick you out if you keep pulling this bullshit.” 

“Fine. Sure. Whatever. I can play nice with your son. Is that what you want to hear?” Schlatt says, mocking kindness. 

“Just stop being a dick, is what I mean. Stop smoking, stop coming home from work drunk. _Get your shit together._ ” 

Puffy’s face was stone cold. Schlatt rarely saw her like this. 

She bit her lip, looking like she had more to say, but turned back towards the door. She took the handle and paused. 

“You’re a shit Dad.” She mumbled. 

Schlatt knew it was true. 

It was proved even more to him when he headed to the bar later that night. 

-

It was Wednesday. 

A month and three days after the “Incident”, as Puffy is adamant on calling it. 

Dream stopped bothering Schlatt. Dream stopped interacting with Schlatt altogether. 

He’d only ask for permission to play with Tubbo, which was new. Schlatt’d shrug, and he’d scurry off. 

Puffy started staying hours later at work. She’d come home to two unfed children and phone calls from Dream’s school, saying this and that about his slipping grades. Schlatt stopped smoking in the apartment parking lot. He smoked behind the grocery store instead. 

It was ten P.M., Schlatt had gotten off of work two hours ago. He had spent the two hours scrolling through his phone behind the grocery store.

He opens the apartment to find the lights in the corridor are off. 

“Hey?” He calls in. 

Silence. 

He drops his backpack on the ground and kicks off his shoes.

Whenever Puffy left anywhere, she’d always leave either a text or a post-it note on the kitchen counter. Schlatt nearly trips as he slides into the kitchen. 

No note. 

“Puffy?” He calls, voice more urgent now. 

“Here.” A voice called. 

The light in Schlatt’s room was on. 

He walked in. 

Puffy was seated on the floor, and around her... 

“Why?” Puffy asked softly, her voice broken. _Defeated._

Beer bottles scattered the ground. Some probably months old at this point. 

“This is the shit you’d blow your paycheck on? Instead of saving up to get out of here?” She said, her voice slowly growing in volume.

Schlatt was dumbfounded. How did she find those?

“You’d spend your money on beer and cigarettes instead of your fucking _son?_ ” Puffy shouted. 

His son. 

“Where’s Tubbo?” Schlatt asked, voice urgent. 

“Don’t you dare change the subject.” 

_”Where is he?”_

“I took him to Bad.” 

“Bad? The dad of that kid Dream’s friends with?” 

“Yes. Dream and Tubbo were playing and Tubbo found a bottle. Dream called me in to ask what it was. I took them to Bad’s. I knew he’d take care of them until you got home.” Puffy turned a bottle over in her hand. 

Silence. 

Schlatt tore a hand through his hair. 

“You don’t get it-” He began, but Puffy quickly cut him off. 

“I don’t get _what?_ What is there left to understand? I asked you to stop. You said you would.” Puffy’s voice cracked mid-sentence. 

“Puffy-” 

“ _I_ feed you. _I_ house you. You’re grown. You have a kid. I thought you were really reshaping yourself. You started working and earning decent amounts of money. You cared about Tubbo. I genuinely thought you were getting better, but it seems like you would much rather sit on your dumb ass instead of helping yourself.” 

Puffy’s words stung. So much. 

“ _Cared?_ I still care about Tubbo. More than anything.” 

“Sure. I’ll believe that when you stop being a selfish piece of shit. When you start working hard and recognizing that blowing your cash on booze and cigarettes _doesn’t help your son._ ” 

Silence. 

Puffy balled her fists. 

“I’m done with this.” She mumbled. 

“What?”

“I’m done. Pack your shit.” 

No. 

“Wait, no, Puffy, you can’t do this-” Schlatt reaches out for her as she stands and gets ready to leave. 

“ _Pack your shit._ You’re gone by tomorrow night. Find somewhere else to stay.” She barks. 

“You can’t do this to Tubbo!” 

“I’m _not._ Tubbo is staying with me.” 

Schlatt can’t think. 

Is she seriously trying to separate them? 

Tubbo had been one of the only things holding Schlatt together. 

He was sweet, cute, and even a little entertaining. He gave Schlatt a sense of responsibility. 

Schlatt loved Tubbo. He couldn’t let this happen. 

“Schlatt, listen. You’re dangerous. Once you’ve got your act together, you can visit, and once you’re seriously stable, he can live with you again.” Puffy reasons, voice softer. 

_Dangerous._ Schlatt wants to argue, fight, but he can’t. He’s glued to the ground, surrounded by old beer bottles. 

Puffy stands in the doorway, her face stone cold. 

“I’ll bring some boxes.” She mutters. 

-

Thursday. 

Puffy is at work, Dream is at school, and Tubbo is with this _”Bad”_ motherfucker. 

All of Schlatt’s shit is packed into boxes. 

He doesn’t want to stay here. Sure, it’s more than just inconvenient to now have to find a new place to stay, but it’s better off than being around his busy-body sister and her talkative son. 

Schlatt loads the boxes into the trunk of his car. There aren’t many, as he doesn’t own a lot. 

He goes upstairs, leaning against the counter. 

He won’t leave unless he’s leaving with Tubbo. 

Schlatt thrums his fingers against the marble. Does Bad know that Schlatt is getting kicked out? Could he just _ask_ for Tubbo, saying that Puffy sent him? He considers it. He doesn’t even know where the fucker lives. 

“Shit,” Schlatt mutters, leaning his forehead into his hands. 

A knock on the front door. 

It’s probably Puffy, coming to check in on Schlatt and make sure he’s getting ready to leave. 

He walks over to the door, dragging his feet. 

He opens it, and there stands...someone who is definitely not Puffy. 

“Hello! Is Puffy home?” The man asks cheerfully, using a finger to push his glasses up his nose. 

“Papa!” 

Tubbo stands beside the man, holding onto his hand. He smiles eagerly. 

Schlatt’s eyes widened. 

This was going to be much easier than he originally thought. 

“Uhm, no. She’s at work right now. You must be Bad, right?” Schlatt says, doing his best to force politeness. 

“Oh, yes I am! You must be Schlatt, right? Puffy’s told me a bit about you. Anyway, I was supposed to be looking after Tubbo, but something’s risen at work, so I can’t look after him right now. I was hoping I could drop him off again and maybe pick him up again later if needed?” Bad explained. 

Schlatt nodded a little too eagerly.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. I can watch over him. I don’t think you’ll need to pick him back up again, though. I-Eer-Uhm...I just got off from work.” 

Bad seemingly didn’t notice Schlatt’s hesitation. 

“Oh, that’s perfect! Thank you so much!” Bad let go off Tubbo’s hand, and Tubbo immediately ran up to Schlatt. Schlatt’s shoulders relaxed. 

Bad waved and disappeared down the hallway. 

Schlatt immediately closed the door, crouching down to be at eyelevel with Tubbo. 

“Okay, listen closely, bud. We’re gonna go on a little trip, okay? Away from Autie Puffy and Dream. You go get the toys you wanna bring along, kay?” 

Tubbo nodded, running off into the room he was supposed to share with Dream. 

Schlatt, in the meantime, sorted through Tubbo’s clothes, stuffing them into a smaller box. 

Tubbo left the room with his stuffed bee and a green blanket. 

Schlatt chuckled, scooping Tubbo up and tucking the box under his arm. 

“Okay then…Let’s go.”

-

Life was much more difficult now that Schlatt and Tubbo were on their own. 

Schlatt got close to fifty calls from Puffy, all of which he ignored. 

He and Tubbo left to a different town. One in the foothill of the mountains. 

They lived in a motel room and lived off of chips, instant ramen, and the occasional subway. 

Schlatt worked at the local grocery store and mopped floors at the local diner in the evenings. 

Tubbo watched cartoons all day long. 

Schlatt knew this wasn’t good for a kid, to be cooped up all day long watching cartoons instead of talking to other kids or going to school. 

But, with every coming day, Schlatt ran out of more money, and every day the motel complained about how long they had been staying there. With their current almost-nomadic lifestyle, school wasn’t really an option. 

Schlatt twirled his car keys around his finger as he stepped into the motel lobby, whistling something. 

“Schlatt.” 

Schlatt was familiar with the woman at the front desk at this point. She constantly looked pissed off and never had anything nice to say, unless Tubbo was with Schlatt, then she’d coo at him like no tomorrow. 

“Minx.” He greeted with a sigh. 

“You’re supposed to be checking out tomorrow.” She reminded, tapping her long nails against the front desk. 

“I seriously do not get why you want me to leave so bad. I’m paying you guys, so what’s the issue?” 

“Do you think a homeless guy living in the motel is giving us a good look?” Minx fired back. 

“Keyword; _motel._ I don’t know what good look you’re trying to preserve in the first place.” 

Minx scoffed, and Schlatt took the pause as an opportunity to end the conversation and head back to his room. 

The minute he opened the door he was met with the obnoxious sound of cartoons. 

Tubbo was seated cross-legged on the one bed, eyes practically glazed over with how focused he was on the TV. Schlatt rolled his eyes, picking up the remote and flicking the TV off. 

Tubbo groaned, rolling over onto his side, and Schlatt chuckled. 

“C’mon, bud. Sit up, I got subway today. I know how much you like the cookies.” Schlatt set the paper bags down as he sat on the mattress. 

“I wanted to keep watching cartoons.” Tubbo huffed. 

“You’ve been watchin’ em’ all day. Look at you, your eyes are all red. I can’t afford glasses, y’know. You gotta start, like, lookin’ out the window.” 

It was Tubbo’s turn to roll his eyes, sitting up and reaching into one of the bags. Schlatt smirked as he bit into his own sandwich. 

They sat, eating in silence with Schlatt occasionally making a joke and Tubbo breaking into a fit of giggles. Eventually, Tubbo got sleepy, abandoning his chocolate chip cookie and nodding off. 

Schlatt swiped the crumbs off of the bed, smiling at how peaceful Tubbo looked. 

A light knock sounded from the corridor and Schlatt muffled his groan. 

Just as he expected, behind the door stood Minx with her arms crossed. 

“What are you doing here?” He staged whispered. 

“Why are you whispering?” Minx retorted, looking slightly amused. 

Schlatt shushed her and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. “Kid’s sleeping.” 

Minx didn’t coo, surprisingly. 

“Listen, we have to talk,” She said sternly, “You haven’t paid in like, five days, you owe us a two hundred somethin’ bucks, and the boss thinks it's time you just, go.” 

“Why?” Sclatt asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

Minx narrowed her eyes. “You know why!” He did. “You can’t stay here forever. You’ve gotta leave.” 

Schlatt sighed, running a hand down his face. “Minx, let me be real. I have nowhere to fucking go. I don’t have family, friends, nothin’. I’m barely scraping up pennies for food. Today’s the first day I ate in a few. All the food’s for Tubbo.” 

Minx bit her lip. 

“Then maybe you gotta give Tubbo to somebody who can actually feed him?” 

“No.” Schlatt said firmly. 

Minx’s brow furrowed. “Are you kidding? The kid’s sufferin’ just as much as you are! Listen, I’ll do you a favor. Let Tubbo stay with me. I know you have a phone, I’ll give you my number and you can check in. Once you’re up off your arse, he’s yours again.” 

_I’ve heard this before…_

Anger bubbled within Schlatt. 

“So you want me to leave?” He bit. 

“Schlatt, come on. I’m being real too. You gotta realize that this kid is holding you back.” 

_Holding him back. Doing him harm._

“I’ll leave.”

“Man, you can’t maintain this nomad lifestyle. You’re gonna run outta money for gas eventually-” 

“Tell your boss I’m checkin’ out.” Schlatt turned to unlock the door, eyes narrowed. “I’ll be outta your hair by tommorow morning.” 

-

Dark storm clouds gathered overhead, making the deep green pine trees look an even darker shade. 

Schlatt had run out of gas money the other day. 

He had no idea where he was going anymore. 

He and Tubbo simply traveled further up the mountain, stopping in various motels and inns, selling old clothes and furniture so they could keep going. 

Tubbo shifted around in his makeshift car seat, a box with a blanket inside. 

Even looking at Tubbo hurt. 

Schlatt knew that if it wasn’t for Tubbo, he’d be much better off. 

And yet, it was still his fault. 

Tubbo wasn’t supposed to be here, and yet he was. 

Schlatt knew it was time to back out. To rip the bandaid off. 

He pulled over on the side of the road. 

Was he seriously doing this? 

In a way, he felt numb. 

“Hey, Tubster, wake up.” 

Tubbo rubbed at his eyes with his sleeves. They had sold Tubbo’s clothes, so he was in one of Schlatt’s old shirts. 

Schlatt turned the blinkers on and unbuckled his seatbelt, walking out to the other side of the car. 

He took the box into his hands, walking down off the road over to where the forest began. 

A branch hung lower than the others, creating a small canopy. 

Schlatt bit his lip. 

He was doing this. 

He set the box down, looking down at his son. 

“Y-You stay right here, okay? Don’t leave the box, stay and wait for me.” He said, ignoring the way tears pricked at his eyes. 

“Are you going somewhere, Papa?” Tubbo asked. Painfully innocent. Unaware. 

“Yeah. Just a little trip.” 

That’s what he had told Tubbo when they left Puffy’s. It’s okay. After this, he wouldn’t have to lie anymore.

Tubbo nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait.” 

“Good boy.” Schlatt ruffled his hair, and Tubbo giggled. 

“See you later?” Tubbo said, holding onto his bee. 

Schlatt nodded. “Yeah. See you, bud.” 

He walked off to the car. 

He closed the door. 

He buckled his seat belt. 

He tried not to think of the way that Tubbo was sitting in a box, watching the car go, anticipating Schlatt’s soon return. 

He put the car in drive and hit the pedal. 

He barely felt the tears when they came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! time to abandon this plot and go back to fluffy sbi. yeah? yeah. this was highly encouraged by my friend. hi. she knows who she is. it was fun to write yet so SAD so im eager to go back to the family. but now you all have tubbo backstory! i hope you liked it, i wont lie i really liked writing this chapter :] comments and kudos r always appreciated!!! see you <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo makes a new friend and Tommy is _not_ happy with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i'm very sorry for the fact that this fic was down!! someone had reported my work for having "harassing tags" (lol) and the work was privated. not my intention, but we're back now! that's what matters. hopefully you like this chapter!! i loved writing it :]

“I’m gonna go out to the park.” Tubbo announces, fastening the buttons of his frog raincoat. 

“What?!” Tommy cried, slamming his pencil down, “Wilby, can I _please_ go with him?” 

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “You haven’t finished your work yet. Once you finish it you can go.” 

Tubbo gave him a sympathetic look as he put on his rain boots and left for the park. 

Thirty tortuous minutes passed before Tommy was finally finished with his assignment. Wilbur yawned and gave him a pat on the back. 

Tommy immediately jumped out of his seat and ran for his duck raincoat, haphazardly putting it on and flipping the hood over his head. 

“Don’t be out for long-” Phil began as Tommy opened the door, but Tommy shouted a simple okay and slammed the door, dashing out onto the sidewalk. 

The clouds hung dark and heavy, threatening to rain again. Puddles still sat on the sidewalk, Tommy disturbing their still waters as he ran. 

Soon, the play structure of the small park came into view and Tommy grinned. He wondered how Tubbo had kept himself entertained all this time by himself, until…

Tubbo sat on the swingset, kicking his feet as he spoke, and beside him sat a strange boy. The boy had half black half, white hair and sat much taller than Tubbo. Tubbo said something and the boy laughed, making Tubbo smile. 

Hot jealousy pooled in Tommy’s stomach.

Tubbo noticed Tommy standing at the outskirts of the park and smiled at him. 

“Tommy! Come here!” Tubbo called, and Tommy obeyed. 

“This is Ranboo!” Tubbo said once Tommy walked over. Ranboo gave Tommy a shy wave, a nervous smile on his face. Tommy simply gave him a glare. 

“I was hoping you’d play with us! I was just telling Ranboo about the time…” Tubbo trailed off onto several different tangents. Tommy kept his eyes locked on Ranboo. Ranboo occasionally laughed at what Tubbo had said, and Tommy grew more bitter. 

Eventually, Tubbo said he was gonna go to the bathroom stalls and left Ranboo and Tommy alone by the swings. 

They fell into silence. 

Suddenly, Ranboo pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and scribbled something down before tearing the page out and holding it out towards Tommy. 

“Why’re you giving me paper?” Tommy asked, voice monotone.

“Sometimes it’s easier to say what you want to say in a letter. Erm-here!” Ranboo handed Tommy his pencil, “You can write back to me too!” 

Tommy raised an eyebrow, looking down to read Ranboo’s “letter.”

_Dear Tommy,_

_I don’t know why you seem to be so mad at me. Hopefully you can tell me why, because you seem very nice and I would like to play with you. Tubbo told me good things about you. I would really appreciate it if you told me what I did wrong so we could maybe play together. I am good at weaving grass, we could play kingdom._

_Sincurly, Ranboo_

Ranboo finished off the letter with a crude drawing of a smiley face beside his name. 

Tommy flipped over the paper, hunching over and writing his response. 

_Hello LOSERBOO,_

_YOU. ARE. A. BITCH!_

_I do not want to play kingdom with you because you are a loser and you suck. I do not know what bitch means but it's a bad word and you are bad so i will call you that. Tubbo is my best friend, not yours! You are very weird and sucky!_

_-Tommy_

Tommy handed him the paper. 

___Ranboo scanned over it, and Tommy hoped that he’d burst into tears and run away. That he’d run away and leave Tommy and Tubbo alone. But Ranboo simply looked up with a smile and nodded._ _ _

___“Of course Tubbo isn’t my best friend! I only met him today! I’m glad he’s your best friend, though. Maybe the three of us can be best friends one day!” Ranboo exclaimed, tucking the paper away into his pocket._ _ _

___Tommy was fuming, to say the least._ _ _

___Had he said those things to any other child, they would’ve ran away. They would’ve told their parents and Tommy would sit through Phil’s lecture content knowing that everyone would leave him and Tubbo alone._ _ _

___Why not Ranboo?_ _ _

___Tubbo returned with a happy cheer, and Tommy took his hand._ _ _

___“Dad wants us home.” He said to Tubbo dutifully._ _ _

___Tubbo’s eyes widened. “Aww, really? I was having fun!” He turned to Ranboo, “Can we play tomorrow?”_ _ _

___Ranboo nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I needed to be getting home now anyway.”_ _ _

___“Good. Go away.” Tommy responded._ _ _

___Ranboo had the nerve to laugh._ _ _

___He waved as he walked away and Tubbo waved back with a smile that made Tommy feel cold all over._ _ _

___“Why are you friends with him?” Tommy asked as the pair walked home._ _ _

___“Huh? Cause he’s fun!” Tubbo said simply. Like it meant nothing._ _ _

___“Am I not fun?” Tommy asked, furrowing his brows._ _ _

___Tubbo raised an eyebrow, looking over at Tommy._ _ _

___“Tommy, are you jealous?”_ _ _

____Jealous._ _ _ _

___A cold gust of wind pelted some droplets of rain onto Tommy’s face, which felt hot all over._ _ _

___“I am _not._ ” Tommy said firmly. _ _ _

___“It’s okay to be jealous!” Tubbo chided, squeezing Tommy’s hand a bit._ _ _

___“I’m not!”_ _ _

___Tubbo shrugged. “If you say so.”_ _ _

___They walked back home in silence._ _ _

___Tommy wasn’t jealous. He _wasn’t._ Tubbo was just being a bad friend by going on and becoming close with someone new. _ _ _

___Why would he need someone new, anyway? Was Tommy not enough?_ _ _

___The thought made Tommy’s heart squeeze. Surely he was enough, right? They slept together, ate together, shared a treehouse, everything. Tommy found Tubbo and brought him home. They were inseparable, always referred to as “Tommy and Tubbo”, never just one or the other._ _ _

___Tommy glanced over at Tubbo’s content expression, humming as he swung their intertwined hands. Unaware of the turmoil he caused Tommy._ _ _

___He placed a hand on the doorknob. Whatever, Ranboo was gone now. It was a one time thing. Tubbo would forget._ _ _

___At least he hoped so._ _ _

___-_ _ _

___Tommy was washed up and heading up the stairs when a voice stopped him._ _ _

___“Oi, Toms.”_ _ _

___Tommy turned around to see Wilbur leaning against the bathroom doorway, toothbrush in hand._ _ _

___“Is everything okay? You’ve been a bit serious today.” Wilbur says, genuine concern in his voice._ _ _

___Tommy’s heart pangs, but he chooses to remain silent on how he feels._ _ _

___“What? I’m fine.”_ _ _

___Wilbur raises an eyebrow. “Is it about the kid Tubbo befriended in the park? What was his name…” Wilbur’s face screws up as he thinks, “Booboo, was it?”_ _ _

___“Ranboo, and no, it’s not.”_ _ _

___Wilbur smiles a little. “You remember his name, so it is.”_ _ _

___Tommy’s ears flush with embarrassment and he looks away. “It’s _not_ about him, Wilby. I’m off to bed, I’m tired.” Tommy turns back to the stairs, slowly making his way up the next two steps. _ _ _

___“You know, I’m sure Tubbo doesn’t feel the same way for anyone else as he does you. You’re special to him, Tommy. It’s not something you need to worry about.” Wilbur says softly, gaze burning into Tommy’s back._ _ _

___Tommy pauses, letting Wilbur’s words reverb in his head. “Goodnight.” He says simply, making his way up the rest of the stairs._ _ _

___He hears Wilbur shrug. “‘Night.”_ _ _

___-_ _ _

___The night morning, the bed is cold and in Tommy’s arms is not something that feels like a person. He opens his eyes slowly, blinking the sleepy warriness out of them._ _ _

___The blue eyes of Tubbo’s stuffed bee stare back at him._ _ _

___Tommy squeals, shoving the bee out of his arms and watching it roll off the mattress and onto the floor._ _ _

___Tubbo wasn’t anywhere to be seen._ _ _

___Tommy groaned, tossing the blanket off his legs and opening the trapdoor._ _ _

___Once he was in the dining room, Tubbo was still nowhere to be seen._ _ _

___“Mornin’ Tommy!” Phil greeted, ruffling his son’s hair before pausing. “Everythin’ alright?”_ _ _

___“Where’s Tubbo?” Tommy asked, scanning the room._ _ _

___“Oh, he went out to play early.” Phil said, returning to the dining table. “You can go join him, if you’d like. He went to the park, I believe.”_ _ _

___Tommy ran upstairs, pulling on a jumper and his raincoat. He dashed down the stairs and was out the door without another word._ _ _

____Why did he go without telling him?_ _ _ _

___Tommy saw the swingset come into view, expecting to see Tubbo seated there, praying he wouldn’t see Ranboo._ _ _

___When he arrived, he saw neither._ _ _

___No other children were on the playground, let alone Tubbo or Ranboo. It was completely vacant._ _ _

___“Tubbo?” Tommy shouted, searching the play structure. Raindroplets fell off of the colorful metal, landing cold on Tommy’s nose._ _ _

___Tubbo was definitely not here._ _ _

___Tommy balled his fists, frustration becoming too much to bear. But he couldn’t cry now, he couldn’t._ _ _

___Frustration was replaced with worry, a stomach-knotting, sickening feeling. He paced a few more times before deciding that there was only one place left where Tubbo could be if he wasn’t at the park or at home. Here, Tommy was reassured with the thought that Tubbo _had_ to be alone. _ _ _

___Tommy dashed back home, but instead of going inside, slipped into the back and followed the path leading from the garden gate._ _ _

___A light drizzle started, the sound of rain softly hitting the deep green tree leaves filled Tommy’s ears._ _ _

___Tommy found his and Tubbo’s treehouse with ease. His stomach twisted as he climbed up the ladder._ _ _

___He was sure Tubbo was here now. He had nowhere else to be._ _ _

___Laughter rung out from inside and Tommy’s heart skipped._ _ _

___Before dropping._ _ _

___Two voices laughed in harmony, both recognizable. One deeper, one higher._ _ _

____No._ _ _ _

___Tommy swung open the treehouse door._ _ _

___Tubbo and Ranboo sat side by side amongst the pillows, laughing. Tubbo’s eyes immediately shone upon seeing Tommy, his smile growing wider._ _ _

___“Tommy, I’m glad you found me! I was thinking-” Tubbo began, but Tommy swiftly cut him off, pointing at Ranboo._ _ _

___“What is _he_ doing here?” _ _ _

___Tubbo looked over at Ranboo, confused. “Ranboo? It just looked like it was gonna rain, so I brought him here so we could keep playing. That’s not a problem, right?”_ _ _

___Tommy’s heart twisted with pain, sending pricking tears into his eyes._ _ _

___“But-But he, he _can’t._ ” Tommy said urgently. _ _ _

___“Why not? He just wants to play.”_ _ _

___“It’s _our’s._ No one else’s.” _ _ _

____Betrayal,_ voices in Tommy’s head whispered. _ _ _

___“I don’t understand why you’re being so mean to Ranboo.” Tubbo said, voice firm._ _ _

____He doesn’t want you anymore. He’d rather share the treehouse with Ranboo. He’d rather be best friends with Ranboo. **He doesn’t need you anymore.**_ _ _ _

___“I don’t understand why I’m not good enough!” Tommy shouts, his voice breaking as tears escape his eyes._ _ _

___Tubbo’s eyes widen, flooding with concern and fear. Ranboo curls in on himself, his discomfort obvious._ _ _

___Tommy shuts his eyes, grabbing his shoulders as soft sobs wrack his figure._ _ _

___“I-I don’t understand why you need anyone else, why you don’t need _me_ anymore. Why am I not good enough?” His knees buckle, making him fall into the soft, cushion-y floor._ _ _

___Arms wrap around Tommy, bringing him into warmth._ _ _

___“Could you maybe..?” Tubbo says softly. His chest vibrates as he talks. It’s almost comforting._ _ _

___Ranboo makes a noise of assent. “I had to leave soon anyway.”_ _ _

___The treehouse door creaks open, the sound of rain growing louder, before it shuts._ _ _

___Tommy hiccups._ _ _

___“Why am I not good enough?” He whispers softly through a sob._ _ _

___Tubbo’s grip on him tightens. “You are.”_ _ _

___“Then why do you need _him?_ ” Even Tommy hates the bitterness in his voice. _ _ _

___Tubbo is quiet for a moment, before speaking again. “You and Ranboo are really different. Ranboo is quieter. He’s really awkward, too. And shy. You’re the complete opposite.”_ _ _

___“What does that have to do with anything?” Tommy sniffles._ _ _

___“I just liked being around someone so different. Someone new. That doesn’t mean I don’t need you anymore, because without you, I’m stuck with all quiet.” Tubbo says simply, rubbing his thumb against Tommy’s shoulder. “And I like your loud better anyway.”_ _ _

___Tommy opens his eyes, looking up at Tubbo._ _ _

___“You like me better?” He asks softly._ _ _

___Tubbo smiles. “”Course I do.” Tommy’s heart blooms with warmth, spreading over the cold and thawing him._ _ _

___“I’m sorry I brought him here without asking or telling you. You deserved to know. I was getting a little bored without you.” Tubbo continues, eyes scanning the room. “But, you still gotta say sorry to him. You were being a little mean.”_ _ _

___“Yeah, I know.” Tommy mutters, guilt washing over him. “I was just...jealous.”_ _ _

___Tubbo giggles and Tommy flushes._ _ _

___“It’s alright. I’m just happy you care so much, you know?” Tubbo says, and Tommy tries to ignore how happy that makes him._ _ _

___“Yeah, sure. So everything is okay?” Tommy asks, a little hesitant._ _ _

___Tubbo nods. “Mhm!”_ _ _

___Tommy smiles, taking Tubbo’s hand. “Good.” Tubbo smiles back._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was a little short, i know...but hopefully you liked it!!! i'm gonna be skipping back and forth with their ages now, just since i get inspiration for chapters randomly and this fic doesn't follow a specific plot so I want to have more freedom with not going chronologically. ranboo will make more appearances in the future as a minor character! i love him lots, and i think his friendship with tommy and tubbo irl is too sweet to leave out :] thank you for all your concern over this fic while it was down;; it was sort of motivating lol. im glad to be back!! comments and kudos are always always appreciated!! please leave your thoughts, i love reading them <3 see you!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people never forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...SO MAYBE ILL BE DRAGGING THE SCHLATT PLOT OUT SOME MORE...

Minx remembers it well. 

Minx remembers when he first stepped into the motel as some god-forsaken hour holding a sleeping kid in his arms. Minx remembers how she felt enough pity to give him a fucking discount.

She remembers giving Tubbo butterscotches and letting him use the microwave in the breakroom. She remembers listening to Tubbo talk about the cartoon he watched that day. She remembers giving Tubbo vegetables, because she knows he hadn’t eaten any.

The memories are like a knife, twisting deep into her chest. 

Minx did everything she could, and yet that wasn’t enough. 

Schlatt wouldn’t give her his fucking number, so she simply stood in the parking lot and watched Schlatt give her the finger as he barely brough his car to life. She watched Tubbo wave out of the window as they drove away and into the pines. 

She still feels although there was something she could’ve done. Minx could’ve jumped in front of the car, lectured Schlatt more, fuck, she could’ve _begged_ for Schlatt to think with his head and not his ass. 

But she didn’t. 

Minx worked the rest of the days at the motel almost expecting Tubbo to peek over the fake granite counter and ask for a candy. She almost expected Schlatt to come in through the doors with Tubbo in his arms, asking for a room again because he couldn’t find one anywhere else. 

It never happened. 

Minx quit her job at the motel and set her sights on the city. 

Despite being out of the tiny, good for nothing mountain town, thoughts of the tragic duo still haunted her. As did her guilt. 

She went into working with kids, babysitting and even being a substitute teacher in kindergarten classes. She gave butterscotches to the kids. 

After two years, she didn’t think about it much anymore. Her friends had listened to her woes and, for the most part, convinced her that there was nothing more she could have done. 

But it still didn’t keep out all of the thoughts.

Minx wondered if he was dead. If Schlatt had fucked up, and Tubbo wasn’t even there anymore. 

She wouldn’t be surprised if it was true, although that thought terrified her. 

Minx was at the candy store, buying some more candy for the kids she would be looking after the next day. They were avid fans of jelly beans, so she always gave them some when they were good or after they had finished their meals. 

The bell on the door rung, signaling that more customers entered the shop. Out of pure bored curiosity, Minx glanced up. 

A tall, brunette boy with a navy beanie flicked some snow off his cheek, glancing around before looking down. “Alright, we’ve got the ten dollars Dad gave us. You pick out yours and Tommy’s, I’ll get some for me and Techno.” 

Minx peeked over the aisle divider to see who the boy was talking to. 

Beside him stood a small boy, dressed in a green winter coat, holding onto the other boy’s gloved hand. 

Minx would know those two blue eyes anywhere. 

_It can’t be. Who’s the taller kid? It’s probably just a freaky coincidence._

The small boy walks over to an aisle, staring up at the chocolate bars lined on the very top shelf. Frustration crosses his face and Minx immediately walks over. 

“Need some help?” She asks, trying to disguise the shakiness in her voice.

The kid’s eyes widened. 

_He recognizes me._

He nodded. 

“I want the Snickers bar and the Hershey one.” He said, pointing up. 

_There’s no way it isn’t him._

_How?_

Minx grabbed the Snickers bar and a Hershey bar, handing it to the boy, who smiled. 

She kneeled down. “What’s your name, kid?”

The boy looked at her, clutching his candy. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” 

“You recognize me though, right?” 

The boy pauses for a moment before nodding slowly. 

“How do I know you?” 

“Tubbo?”

_Oh my god._

Minx turns to look at the older boy from before, who gives Minx a suspicious glare. He take’s Tubbo’s hand, but Tubbo keeps his gaze on Minx. 

“So it is you.” Minx says softly. 

“Pardon me, what business do you have with my brother?” He says, staring at Minx. 

_”Brother.” Huh._

She looks down at Tubbo, who stares at her with pure curiosity. 

“Me and Tubbo crossed paths three years ago.” She says. 

The boy seems to calculate that, before realizing. “No way, are you…?” 

“I’m not his Mom.” Minx says quickly, a bit of amusement to her voice, “Absolutely fuckin’ not.” 

“Then who are you?” 

Minx shrugs. “Just someone yer’ Dad came across.” 

The boy raises an eyebrow. “Phil?” 

Minx gives him a look. “Who the hell’s Phil?”

“My dad.” The boy supplies.

Minx pauses. 

“...Yer’ Dad isn’t Schlatt?”

The boy shakes his head. “No, my Dad’s name is Phil. We’re the Minecrafts. I have no idea who Schlatt is.” 

Tubbo looks between the two of them with confusion. 

Minx stands completely still, eyes wide. “So that means…” 

“Uhm-hey, look. Let me give you my number, and then I can pass that on to my Dad. I’m really sure he’d like to talk to you about...all this. And explain some.” The boy said, digging into his pocket and fishing out his phone. Minx did the same. 

They exchanged numbers, and the boy introduced himself as Wilbur. 

“So…” Minx starts, rolling onto the balls of her feet and back onto her heels. 

“I’ll give you a call later, ‘kay? We should be heading back to the rest of our family…” Wilbur says, checking the time. 

“Yeah, for sure. Oh-uhm, wait..” Minx reaches into her pocket, grabbing something and kneeling down. 

She hands the butterscotch to Tubbo, who takes it happily with a small smile.

Minx considers hugging him. 

She doesn’t. 

Wilbur and Tubbo wave goodbye, paying for their items and walking out of the store, leaving Minx wondering if that was all really real.

-

Minx called Wilbur the moment she stepped into her apartment. He gave her his father’s number, and then she called him. 

_”So you knew Tubbo’s biological Dad?”_

“Mhm. Pure coincidence that we met, really. We weren’t friends. In fact, he sort of resented me. I think.” 

Silence on the other end. Minx hears Phil take an inhale. 

_”Tell me how you two met again please?”_

Minx told him about the motel. About the first night they met and the days draining through. He asked her for dates, and she provided them. She even heard him writing everything down. 

“So?” Minx asks after a moment of Phil writing. 

_“It seems to line up, that means he spent the days afterwards traveling up the mountainside before…”_ His voice trailed off. 

“Before he what? Did he, like, hand off Tubbo to you, are you two like buddies or some shit?”

_“No, I barely knew anythin’ about Schlatt before this. Only his name.”_ Phil says.

“...So then how’d you get him?” Minx asks, leaning against a doorway. 

_”...You won’t like it._

“Tell me.”

A beat of silence. 

_”My son found Tubbo on the side of the road. The side of the freeway, to be exact. In a box. Tubbo had told us that his Dad- Schlatt- left him there and told him to wait. He sat there for a couple of days before he got sick from the rain and my son brought him home to us. We discovered his situation and adopted him.”_

Minx’s phone fell out of her hand and clattered to the ground. 

_”Minx?”_

“That fuckin’- _bastard!_ I told him if he couldn’t handle it I’d take care of Tubbo! I had a fuckin’ apartment, hot water, money for real fuckin’ food, not just Subway and instant ramen! And yet his stubborn arse went on and then left Tubbo on the side of the road and got him _sick!_ That low life, son of a bitch!” Minx shouted, tearing her hands through her hair and pacing. 

_”Minx, I think you dropped yer’ phone, you sound distant. Also, it was just a cold, it lasted for like two days-”_ \

Minx picked up her phone, feeling hot tears gather at her eyes. 

“I coulda fuckin’ stopped him, Phil” She whimpers, hugging her waist with her free arm. 

Phil sighed. _“If I’m bein’ honest, I’m glad the kid’s no longer associated with Schlatt. Assfuck of a man.”_

Minx sniffled, but she agreed. Maybe it was for the best. “So does Tubbo know? Any of this?” 

_”No. He’s still a kid, I feel like this would be too heavy on him. I know he already battles a lot with what he knows and abandonment issues n’ shit...I just don’t wanna make it too heavy on him. He’ll know someday.”_

Minx nodded. “Good. Good, that’s good.” Her voice was raspy and wet. 

_”...You did what you could, Minx.”_

“I know, I know.” Minx sighed, sniffling and rubbing her nose and eyes. 

_”He’s safe now.”_

Minx clears her throat. 

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s what matters.” 

-

Phil asked Minx some more questions asking about Tubbo’s extended family, and Minx told him what she knew; nothing. 

Phil ended their call sounding defeated, and yet promising to give her some sort of update if he found anything. Saying that he’d tell Tubbo the extent of who she is someday. 

Minx still saw a bit of Tubbo in the kids she took care of. She still saw Schlatt in the social media infographics about toxic households. And yet, she was more at peace than she was ever before knowing Tubbo was finally safe and truly loved the way he deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what did we think!! its short, i know, but i didn't really want to shove more in there. i wanted to bring minx back, though, because i like what i did with her and i feel that had i been in her position, it would be an experience i would forever feel guilt for. i decided to take feeling and elaborate on it! i genuinely did not think i would be continuing the tubbo backstory thing for the amount of chapters i have already (and the chapters upcoming. oh boy.) but then i realized "wait, i gave this kid trauma, i can't just let it fizzle into a little character trivia fact" and here we are. hopefully you all dont mind! as always, please leave your thoughts in the comments! im addicted to seeing them pop up in my inbox. thank you for your support, see you!!! <33


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Phil, Wilbur and Tommy go on a trip to the city for a day, Techno and Tubbo are left home alone together. Techno learns to appreciate his little brother’s presence more, while Tubbo learns to open up to more people than just Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am the ruler of hurt/comfort. it is in absolutely everything i write.
> 
> **slight warning for implied alcoholism as well as nightmares.**

“Are you sure you don’t want to come along, Tubbo?” Phil asked, picking up his briefcase as he stood in the doorway. 

Tubbo nodded. “I just don’t feel like going this time around.” He said. 

“I can’t believe you’re not coming!” Tommy whined for the third time that day. 

“It’s nothing! We’ll be back tomorrow morning.” WIlbur reassured, patting Tommy on the back. Tubbo gave Tommy a sympathetic smile. 

After a few more moments of fussing, the three finally got into Phil’s car and drove off. Tubbo watched the car swerve off beyond the pine trees until he was left with silence. 

Techno was relieved to finally have the house to himself. Well, not _himself,_ but close enough. 

Normally, whenever Phil took these business trips, he took _all_ the kids besides Techno. Since Techno was the oldest (by a minute, but still. Oldest) he got more freedom. 

But, this time around, Tubbo stayed behind as well.

Techno had nothing against Tubbo. He loved all his brothers equally, and that included Tubbo, of course. Tubbo was also probably the closest to Techno personality wise, both being quiet introverts. So, Techno was pretty sure this would go smoothly. Had he been left with Tommy, well, that’d be an entirely different story.

Tubbo and Techno went on to do their own things. Tubbo was generally independent for a ten year old, watching TV and even going outside to pick flowers from the garden. Techno finished work on his laptop and read, pausing to make lunch. The two ate quietly, cracking small jokes back and forth and asking each other small-talk questions. 

The day went by quickly and quietly, just how Techno enjoyed it. The sun dipped low over the horizon, bringing forth clouds which blocked out the last of its light, meaning the house was dark early.

Techno was laying on his bed, a book open in his lap. Tubbo trudged by his open door, evidently displeased with something. 

“All good?” Techno asked, glancing up from his book. 

Tubbo let out a low hum. “I’m bored.” 

Ah, of course. Tubbo was still ten, after all. This time would come. 

Techno searched his mind for something to entertain his brother, before landing on the most simple option. 

“Would you like to borrow one of my books? You can just take whichever one interests you most, long as you return it someday.” Techno asked, gesturing at his bookshelf. 

Tubbo smiled sheepishly. “I...er-uhm….” He stammered, averting his eyes. 

Techno’s eyes widened as he remembered. “Oh, crap. I’m sorry, I forgot you have trouble with that.” Tubbo chuckled, waving it off. 

“It’s not that I don’t read _ever_ , it’s just that it’s hard. Normally if I wanna read something big like a book Tommy reads aloud to me.” 

How could Techno forget? Tommy literally read some of Tubbo’s homework out to him. Reading was normally what Techno did when he was bored, but if that was out of the picture…

Well, there was one thing.

“I-uhm- If you don’t mind, I could read aloud to you?” Techno offered. Now it was his turn to look away.

Tubbo instantly brightened up, a smile taking to his face. “I think I’d like that!” 

Before Techno could say another word, Tubbo flopped onto the bed, crawling up beside his brother and peering into the book Techno had open. 

“What’s it about?” He asked, leaning his cheek against Techno’s shoulder.

Techno explained the premise of the book up to where he had stopped, his heart warming a bit when Tubbo nodded or hummed to show that he was still paying attention. 

He read aloud, occasionally making stupid voices for characters when he spoke their dialogue. It was unnatural to him, sharing his reading experience like this, but he didn’t mind if he could see his brother happy. 

Eventually, Tubbo’s eyelids drooped and Techno felt his breathing slow. He nudged the boy. “Alright, wanna head to bed then?”

Tubbo nodded sleepily, rubbing at his eyes. Slowly, he got off the bed and shuffled to the doorway before pausing and looking back. “‘Night, Techno.” 

“‘Night.” 

-

Tubbo was in a dark room. 

And before him, stood a man. 

In the man’s fist, he clutched a bottle made of brown glass, broken in half with the bottom jutting out in sharp edges. 

The man took a step closer. Tubbo took a step back. 

The man’s face was suddenly illuminated, but he had no features. Smooth skin covered his skull, pale and grey. 

Another step forward. Another step back. 

Tubbo didn’t feel scared at first, but with each step, his prior feeling of _nostalgia_ and _knowing_ bubbled into a heart-stabbing pain.

Tubbo could hear things now. Voices, whispering in hushed tones with familiar attributes. 

_”Out”,_ a feminine voice said, followed by _”Safe”,_ and then, a word that felt like a hot brand against Tubbo’s skin, _”Useless.”_

Another step forward. Another back. 

The voices grew louder and louder, all different, all somehow familiar, until Tubbo could no longer discern what they were saying. 

His steps back grew quicker. The man’s forward did as well. 

Tubbo could feel his heavy breathing, the way his chest heaved as though he had run hundreds of miles. The voices whispered, their _s_ sounds knives against his eardrums. 

The man lifted his broken bottle above his head, and with a swift motion it came down, down so close to Tubbo-

Something caught Tubbo’s heels and he fell backwards. 

Into a box. 

His knees tucked into the cardboard, brushing against a soft green blanket. A bee that was bigger than his head was clutched to his chest.

He felt cold. He felt small. He felt hopeless.

The voices deafened the moment his rear end hit the blanket, silencing into a low ringing. 

A boy in a red jumper stood in front of him now. 

Tubbo knew this story.

It was Tommy, _his_ Tommy, and Tommy would take his hand and lead him away-

Tommy took a step back. 

_No._

Tubbo wanted to take a step forward but he could’t. Nothing was holding him down in the box but he couldn’t leave. He opened his mouth to shout but he heard no sound other than the _horrible, horrible_ ringing. 

Tommy kept taking steps backwards until his blank blue eyes faded into the darkness. 

_Don’t leave me here._

Tommy’s face was hidden in black. 

_Don’t leave me alone._

The cold felt suffocating. Tubbo couldn’t breathe. 

Tommy was gone. Enveloped by the darkness. 

Tubbo was alone with the ringing and the cold and his shallow, raspy breathing until he felt small, so so small. Small, alone, and unwanted.

-

Techno was awoken by someone tapping on his shoulder. 

He nearly jumped out of his skin seeing a dark silhouette at his bedside before his eye focused and he saw Tubbo’s face.

“Tubbo…?” He asked groggily, rubbing at his eyes. Tubbo nodded. 

“...Nightmare?” Techno asked slowly. Tubbo nodded again. 

Techno knew Tubbo had nightmares. He did as well, everyone in the family seemed to get semi-frequent nightmares. But, Tubbo normally had Tommy. Now he did not. 

“Okay, crawl in.” Techno said, scooting to the side and tossing the blanket open so Tubbo could lay down. 

Soon enough, Tubbo was up against his shoulder, his breathing slow and shaky. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Techno asked softly. Not a sound, not even a head nod or shake. 

“It’ll help you feel better.” Techno offered. Tubbo took one shaky inhale before speaking. 

“Would you ever leave me?”

Techno paused. “Huh?” 

“Would you and Wilby and Dad and Tommy leave me? Maybe I’m not good enough. I’m not as talented as the rest of you are. There’s nothing super special to me.” Tubbo whimpers. Techno shifts to lay on his side so he can look at Tubbo better. 

“What made you think _that?_ ” 

Tubbo looked away sheepishly. 

“I just...my Dad before, he left me, didn’t he? In the box on the side of the road. It must have been for a reason, right?” 

“Well, sure. Of course he had a reason, but that doesn’t mean it was your fault.” Techno says. He remembered the call their Dad had with that woman, (Minx, was her name? Techno couldn’t remember. It had been a few months) the things he had explained to Wilbur and Techno with a heavy sigh and a hand tearing through his hair. 

Wilbur, being himself, felt a bit of sympathy towards Tubbo’s father. Techno was a ball of unfiltered rage for the rest of the day. Stories like those amped up his anger. But, he understood. He understood the struggle that man had gone through. 

Tubbo whimpered and Techno was brought back to reality. He sighed. 

“Listen, Tubbo. You’re perfectly fine the way you are now. You don’t have to be super talented in one thing for us to love you. You’re more than just good enough, you’re just right. We love you and wouldn’t ever leave you.” He said softly, feeling a bit embarassed at how gentle he was with his words. “ _Real_ family doesn’t up and leave one another. And we’re real family.”

It was silent. Tubbo watched Techno with big glassy eyes. 

“Really?” He whispered. 

“Really.” Techno responded firmly. 

A few stray tears slipped out of Tubbo’s eyes as he moved the blanket to show his wide smile. Techno couldn’t help but mirror it, even a little. 

“Alright, now go to bed. I’m tired.” Techno said, turning back onto his back. Tubbo giggled lightly, shifting around in the covers. 

“Thank you.” Tubbo said softly, warming Techno’s heart. 

“Mhm.” Techno hummed back.

The two dozed off, safe in one another’s presence as the moon slowly creeped its way across the sky and the sun emerged from the horizon, returning light to their world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really hoped you guys liked it!!! i really liked writing this chapter. i know that it's kinda corny since i end nearly every chapter with them going to bed but it's also slice of life technically so i do as i please. for those who crave Pain...you're in for a treat next chapter. comments and kudos are oh so greatly appreciated! they motivate me! let me know what you thought or what you'd like to see in future chapters (headcanons!!! give them to me now!) thank you so much for the support, it's wild. see you guys <33


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy is not afraid of storms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i knoww that i had promised that this chapter would be the angsty chapter But with everything going on right now in the lore i decided that we could all do with a little fluff and familial love!! storms r an ongoing theme in this fic, i think i'm just projecting my wish that we could live in an always rainy world lol. anyway, hope you like this chapter!!!

Tommy likes the rain.

Tubbo taught him to enjoy its calm. At first, Tommy viewed rainy days as a stopper in his fun, but he learned to appreciate rainy days.

However, he doesn’t think he’ll ever learn to enjoy storms. 

He definitely was not enjoying the ongoing storm when it abruptly woke him up in the middle of the night.

The white flash overpowered the light of the fairy lights, sending frightening black silhouettes onto the ground. 

A loud, wall-shaking clap split the air and Tommy was then fully awake.

He jolted up, the cold air greeting his skin as his blanket fell off his shoulders.

Tubbo groaned beside him, shifting over and tucking his hands under his cheek. Tubbo was blessed with the ability to sleep deeply. Tommy was not. 

_Well, it was just one loud clap of thunder, right? The next one will be softer,_ Tommy reassured himself, laying back down. 

Unfortunately, the next clap of thunder was even louder. 

The slanted ceilings seemed to quiver under the heavy rain. Tommy pressed his palm against the wood and felt the vibration of the droplets as they beat against the ceiling. This was a storm if he’d ever experienced one. 

Another clap of thunder seemed to jolt right through his bones. The rain beat harder and Tommy felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

Tommy knew that at this rate, he couldn’t possibly go back to bed. So, mentally, he formed a plan of action. 

Step one, climb over Tubbo and put on a jumper or something.

Step two, really quietly open the trap door and head down, so as to not wake Wilbur up, or that will inevitably end in Tommy getting his ass handed to him. 

Step three, eat all the oreos left in the pantry. 

With all his steps planned out, Tommy put his plan into motion. 

He slowly unwrapped Tubbo’s arm from around his waist, gingerly crossing it over the boy’s chest. Tubbo made a noise and Tommy froze immediately, but he showed no sign of consciousness. So, Tommy slowly pushed the blanket down off of him and crawled over his sleeping brother, cringing at every sound. 

Soon enough, his knees met the cold floor and he was off of the mattress with Tubbo still asleep. 

He stood up and scanned the room before spotting a green jumper. Was it Tubbo’s? He wasn’t sure. He shrugged it on over his head anyway, as well as grabbing a quilt which was strewn on a beanbag by the window. He draped it over his shoulders like a cape, ignoring the way it dragged a bit on the ground behind him. 

Step one, complete. 

Over the years, Tommy had become a master of quietly opening the trap door. He learned just how much force caused the hatches to squeak, and that the key to keeping the trap door from creaking was to open it quickly. 

He unlocked the hatches slowly before quickly opening the trap door. Barely a sound. 

Now, the trickiest part, climbing down the ladder. 

Tommy’s socks frequently slipped against the polished wood, but if he went swiftly enough, he’d probably be fine. 

After bracing himself, he began his descent. 

First bar went fine, as did the second, and the third until-

A crash of thunder sent adrenaline coursing through Tommy’s veins. His fingers slipped and he went flying back. After a moment of free falling, Tommy’s rear end made contact with Wilbur’s rug, making a light _thump!_

This was not good. 

Tommy jolted to look at Wilbur’s bed, preparing to meet his brother's gaze...but Wilbur wasn’t there. 

The covers on his bed were strewn around, one of the blankets missing. 

So, someone obviously had a similar idea to Tommy’s.

Tommy dashed out of the room and down the stairs, holding the railway with one hand and the blanket around his neck with the other. 

A warm, yellow glow shone from the kitchen. 

_He better not have eaten all the Oreos._

Wilbur quietly hummed a tune as he shifted through the cabinets and set things down on the counter. 

Tommy crept in, his socks not making a sound against the wooden floors. 

“What’re you doing?”

Wilbur yelped, his entire body cringing. Tommy snorted and Wilbur spun around. 

“You little- you scared the hell out of me!” Wilbur gasped, a hand over his heart. Tommy snickered, moving to sit on top of the counter. 

“Ooo, Wilbur’s a scaredy cat! I bet you’re up because you’re scared of the storm, huh?” Tommy said obnoxiously, swinging his feet and ignoring the way his heels hit the bottom cabinets. 

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Okay, first of all, get off the counter, your blanket is getting in the way, and second of all, you’re super loud.” 

Tommy didn’t move an inch, ignoring everything that his brother said. “Is Wilby scared of a bit of lightning?” 

“I”m not, I was just up late and the noise kept waking me up. I bet _you’re_ scared of the storm” Wilbur said, jabbing a peanut butter covered butter knife in Tommy’s direction. 

Tommy palened a bit. “I’m not.” 

Wilbur grinned. “You so are.” 

“I’m not! I’m massive and I’m not scared of anything! Tubbo was scared of the storm so I stayed up with him until he fell asleep and then I just wasn’t feeling tired anymore.” Tommy said defensively. He knew Wilbur could see through his lie.

“Tubbo _likes_ storms, but whatever.” Wilbur says, turning his attention back to his sandwich in the making. 

“You’re annoying.” Tommy grumbles. 

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

The two simultaneously groaned, rolling their eyes away from one another. 

It was quiet, the heavy rain and Tommy’s heels beating the cabinets filling the silence. 

“Can you make me a jelly too?” Tommy asked quietly and Wilbur groaned a little. 

“Fine. It’s a _peanut butter_ jelly, by the way.” Wilbur said, setting his own sandwich on a plate and sliding it down the counter. 

“I think toast tastes better with just jelly.” Tommy says. 

“It’s not toast because I accidentally unplugged the toaster and you’re getting peanut butter whether you like it or not.” Wilbur says defiantly, grabbing two slices of bread. “What flavour jelly?” 

“Strawberry.”

Wilbur peers down into the red-smeared jar. “That’ll be the last of the strawberry. I wanted to make another one for myself with strawberry…”

“Fine then, I’ll have grape.” Tommy shrugged.

“I’ll just give you strawberry.” Wilbur said, sticking his knife into the jar. Tommy rolled his eyes.

Wilbur finished up Tommy’s sandwich while Tommy reached over his head and grabbed the oreos. Soon, the two were set and they marched into the dining room with their respective sandwiches and quilts draped over their shoulders.

Their dining area was surrounded by windows which looked out onto the street. It wasn’t ideal for Tommy, who would rather blissfully pretend the storm outside wasn’t happening, but Wilbur didn’t know this, and Tommy wouldn’t tell him. So they set their plates down and sat, Tommy deliberately making sure his back was facing the windows. 

Wilbur reached his hand into the Oreo package, and just as Tommy was about to tell him off, lightning struck. 

Tommy cringed with his whole body, his hands flying up to his ears as his eyes squeezed shut. Rain beat against the windows behind him and every sound seemed to be just a bit too overwhelming. Tommy sat like that, unmoving, bracing himself for lightning to crash through the ceiling or for the storm to sweep up their little home just like in the Wizard of Oz. 

But instead, a comforting hand came to his shoulder. 

Tommy opened an eye to see Wilbur, rubbing his shoulder. 

“Man, if you’re scared of thunder you can just tell me.” Wilbur says softly. 

“I’m _not._ ” Tommy says, ignoring the stray tear that moved down his cheek. 

Wilbur didn’t say anything, but he kept rubbing circles into Tommy’s shoulder. He didn’t mind. It was grounding. 

“We should’ve never let you watch that movie about natural disasters.” Wilbur sighed, moving away from his brother and snatching up an Oreo.

“The movie was fine, I don’t even remember it. Can we drop this now?” Tommy grumbles, watching a mix of jelly and peanut butter ooze out of his sandwich and fall onto his plate. Instead of a response, Tommy was met with Wilbur’s obnoxiously loud chewing.

Soon enough, Wilbur finished his sandwich and appeared to be uninterested in the Oreos. He stood up, holding his plate. “I’ll put this in the sink and then I’m off to bed again. Good night.” 

“No-!” Tommy says, jolting up. Wilbur gives him a look. “I mean-! Are you sure you’re tired? You don’t have to hurry to go to bed or whatever.”

Wilbur paused before smiling a little. “I guess I can stay up a bit longer.” 

Relief floods Tommy’s senses, but when he hears Wilbur chuckle he quickly composes himself. 

Wilbur leaves his plate in the sink and the two move to sit in front of the TV. Wilbur crouches in front of the fireplace, fiddling with it. Tommy bursts out laughing when the sudden flames spook his older brother. 

“Can we watch a movie?” Tommy asks as Wilbur takes a seat beside him on the sofa. 

“That’ll probably wake everyone up. Let’s just sit for now.” Wilbur says, leaning his head into his hand, glasses reflecting the fire. 

Tommy didn’t want to watch the fireplace. That would mean they wouldn’t talk, and not talking meant quiet, and quiet meant sitting and waiting anxiously for the next clap of thunder to roll through the air. 

“We’ve gotta at least talk about _something._ ” Tomy whines. He pulls his legs onto the couch and leans into one of the pillows that rests against the armrests. 

“If you want, I can tell you about how school went today in the rainstorm. Well, yesterday, technically.” Wilbur says. 

“That’s _boring._ I don’t even go to school in person, so I won’t be able to relate.” 

“You’re lucky there isn’t a middle school in the area. I’m sure Phil would kill to have you out of the house for hours at a time.” Wilbur smirks. 

“You don’t mean that.”

“Sure I don’t. Anyway, the school day was pretty hectic…” 

Wilbur went on talking about how parts of the school had flooded and how the thunder scared kids in class who’d scream just to create chaos. Tommy, to his own surprise, listened, even laughing at some of the funny bits. 

Eventually, Wilbur’s words became fuzzier and Tommy’s eyelids felt heavier. He let them droop, ever so slightly, until his eyelashes brushed his cheeks. 

“Tired?” Wilbur asks, voice soft. 

“M’ not.” Tommy says unconvincingly. 

“Get up then, I’m not carrying you back to your room.” 

Tommy decided he was going to pretend to be asleep. All of his limbs felt too heavy at the moment, there was no way he could haul himself back to his loft. Wilbur said something again, and suddenly, Tommy knew he was no longer pretending to be asleep for being lazy. The world turned fuzzy around the edges, and eventually Tommy let consciousness slip through his fingers like sand.

-

“Tommy?”

No response. Wilbur’s little brother was out cold on the couch. 

Wilbur groaned, pushing up his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose. 

Wrapping one arm under his little brother’s knees and the other around his back, Wilbur hoisted Tommy up and began to make his way up the stairs. 

“How am I gonna get you up that ladder?” Wilbur whispers to himself, tip toeing up the stairs. A clap of thunder makes him freeze, glancing down at the sleeping boy in his arms. Tommy makes a noise and shifts around, but remains asleep. Wilbur sighs silently.

He finally reaches the second floor of the house, and Tommy seemed to be getting heavier by the minute. Out of pure curiosity, Wilbur peers down the hallway, and is relieved to see that the light in Techno’s bedroom remained off. 

He stepped into his room, still pondering how to get Tommy up the ladder, only to find…

“Tubbo?”

Tubbo was mid climbing down the ladder when he whipped his head around with enough force to send him flying down. Wilbur, naturally, had the audacity to shush him once he hit the ground.

“Where were you guys? Is Tommy okay?” Tubbo whispers, standing up.

“He’s fine. The thunder scared him so he came downstairs and he fell asleep.” Wilbur explained. 

Tubbo’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay, good.”

“Were you worried?” 

“Well, naturally. When you wake up to a frightening storm outside and the bed empty and cold you worry.” Tubbo says defensively, crossing his arms. Wilbur chuckled. 

“I’m actually glad you’re up. I need to get Tommy up this ladder somehow.” 

“Oh, I can help with that!” Tubbo whispers happily. He turns around, extending his arms backwards. “I’ll carry him up like this and you can watch to make sure he doesn’t fall.”

Wilbur nods, moving Tommy so that he’s leaning against Tubbo and has his arms around the boy’s shoulders. On Tubbo’s back, Tommy’s legs almost touch the ground, but it’ll work to get him up the ladder.

Tubbo climbs up the ladder while Wilbur watched. Thankfully, Tubbo made it to the top smoothly and Wilbur could climb up after him.

Tubbo set Tommy in bed, moving the covers over his brother’s shoulders.

“You should let him freeze. He was being a pain in the ass today, you know.” Wilbur jokes. Tubbo giggles. 

“I considered it, but decided against it.” 

Tubbo sits down on the mattress himself, rubbing at his eyes. He casts Wilbur a sleepy smile. 

“Goodnight?”

Wilbur smiles back. 

“Night, Tubs.”

He climbs down, shutting the trap door over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...what do we think!! i hope you enjoyed :]] next chapter will be angst i promise... in the meantime! kudos and comments r always appreciated, they fuel me to make the best possible content!!! drop what u thought or like theories or headcanons.. anything! id love to hear what u have to say :D thank you so much for reading, see you! <3


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